Love, Eventually
by EverydayGeek
Summary: Emma White and Regina Mills are forced into marriage by their parents as a way to end the feud between their respective kingdoms. Considering the fact that Emma and Regina have always hated each other, they find it hard to adjust to married life. Their parents told them that love will come eventually, but is that true in their case? SwanQueen AU set in EF/FTL
1. Chapter 1

Emma couldn't believe this was happening. How could her parents do this to her? How could they force her to marry her worst enemy? It's no secret that Regina Mills and Emma White hate each other's guts; it's a known fact throughout the Enchanted Forest, yet her parents turn a blind eye at the two's obvious disdain towards one another and force them to get married.

The White Kingdom and the Mills Kingdom have been feuding for centuries and not once has either kingdom ever tried to form an alliance with one another. At least, not until now. Emma's parents, Snow White and Prince Charming, are the heads of the White Kingdom, and everyone thinks of them as the most selfless and fairest individuals in the land. They believe that forcing this marriage on Emma, would help form an alliance and garner a truce between the two kingdoms, protecting everyone in the land from having to enter a possible war. But in Emma's eyes, she sees this as her parents pawning her off to someone else. Sure, her parents love her, but they don't seem to understand exactly how this arranged marriage would affect her. She'd be lucky to make it out of the first hour of being in Regina's presence, alive.

"Emma, sweetie, it's time," Snow calls up to the blonde's bed chamber - or former bed chamber.

Emma releases a dejected sigh as she makes her way down the stairs and takes in the sight of the open front door and the horse-drawn carriage waiting outside. As Emma reaches the last step, she is immediately pulled into a tight embrace by her mother and father. She doesn't hug them back, she just stands stiffly as they continue to embrace her, her father placing a kiss on her forehead. As soon as they let her go, she steps past them and heads out the front door without so much as a backwards glance. Once she reaches the open carriage door, she peaks in and sees a bored-looking, Regina, sitting patiently. Regina turns her head and looks at Emma with a raised brow.

"Are you going to get in or what? We have a long journey ahead of us, so if you could please stop pussyfooting and get in so we can begin this unpleasant journey," Regina says in an annoyed tone. Emma rolls her eyes at the woman and gets in, roughly closing the carriage door behind her. Regina rolls her eyes at the girl's petulance. "This isn't a cakewalk for me either, princess. Do you think I want to be here, married to you of all people? I'd rather be fileted alive by a dragon's breath and then consumed by ogres."

Emma huffs indignantly at the brunette and focuses her attention on the sights outside of the carriage window.

She and Regina had a private wedding ceremony yesterday morning, the only people in attendance were their parents as well as the officiant performing the ceremony. Both grudgingly, said their "I do's" and now here they are a day later, being sent to live together in a cottage that is in the middle of nowhere. Neither girl's parents even had the decency to seem to seem ashamed or guilty about forcing their daughters to marry someone that they didn't love. They just simply told the girls that love will come after the marriage.

But neither girl was convinced of that.

* * *

"I cannot believe my parents. Why would they subject me to this type of torture? What did I do to deserve this damned fate?" Regina groans out as the journey to the cottage continues. Emma rolls her eyes at the woman and lets out a scoff.

"Trust me, you're not the only one who feels tortured," Emma says in a bored tone. Regina huffs at the blonde and narrows her eyes threateningly at the girl. Emma raises a 'brow at the brunette, completely unimpressed. "You don't intimidate me, Regina. Might as well quit while you're behind."

The brunette growls at her and turns her attention to the outdoor view provided by the carriage window.

"I was merely sugarcoating it when I said this was torture. Being married to you and having to spend every day waking up to your mediocrity is a fate worse than death. I would rather be burned at the stake than have to play house with you, Ms. White. I would even consider consummating with a fowl _ogre _if that meant I didn't have to share a bed with _you_. But, unfortunately, I have no say in the matter, seeing as I am already on this god forsaken carriage, being whisked away to a decrepit cottage miles away from any intelligent civilization, and my only option for a companion is _you_. Do you not see my problem, dear? Or are you really as moronic as you seem?" Regina says in an annoyed tone. Once her rant is finished, Emma looks at her with that same unimpressed expression.

"Are you done complaining now?" Emma asks her in a deadpan manner. Regina crosses her arms over her chest and sticks her nose up in the air defiantly.

"No."

"Well that's too bad, because I'm done listening. Feel free to stick your head out of the carriage and make small talk with the horses. I'm sure they'll find what you have to say fascinating," Emma says as she turns her head back to her window, taking in the sights of the surrounding forest. Regina stares at the blonde for a long moment, before letting out an annoyed breath and turning to look out of her own window.

Regina doesn't think it's fair that she was forced into this marriage. She knows that Emma didn't have a choice in the matter either, but she can't help but feel sorrier for herself. Unlike Emma, Regina was in love with someone else. Daniel. Her poor, sweet, Daniel. When Regina told him of the news of her arranged marriage, the man sat down and wept for her and then wept for himself. Her heart broke at the sight of the man she loved weeping and she wished, more than anything, that she could find a way to convince her parents to leave her be. But when she begged to be left alone and remain unwed, her parents didn't budge on their decision. They simply ignored her pleas and went on about their day as if their daughter, who rarely asked for anything, said nothing. Now here she is, in this carriage, traveling alone with her worst enemy. Could her life be any more messed up?

* * *

The journey goes on for a few more hours until the overhead sun, begins to set. Orange light begins to shine through the windows of the carriage and soon after, they are plunged into total darkness.

"Are we almost there?" Emma asks in a whining tone. Regina rolls her eyes at the irritating blonde, but remembers that the other girl can't see it through the darkness.

"How am I supposed to know, princess? Do I look like the carriage driver?" Regina asks sarcastically.

Emma lets out an exasperated sigh and leans her head against the window, closing her eyes and willing herself to relax. Why does Regina have to be so unpleasant all the time? It's like she doesn't even know what it's like to be pleasant towards anyone. Emma and Regina have known each other since they were 4. They crossed paths one day in the forest, both keen on exploring what the land had to offer. Emma had been running full speed towards a stack of horse's hay, when she ran over a small brunette girl. Emma had helped the girl up and apologized profusely for her reckless actions, but the tiny brunette didn't accept her apology. Instead, she glared at Emma, stuck her nose up in the air defiantly, and marched back into the direction she had come from. Since then, Regina and Emma had never been able to get along. Add that encounter onto the fact that their families are, or _were_, sworn enemies and you can understand where that instant dislike branched from.

The carriage suddenly comes to a halt and both Emma and Regina become alert to their surroundings. A pair of footsteps can be heard from outside of the carriage and a few seconds later, the carriage door swings open. The driver of the carriage, as well as two of the White guards, stand in front of the door, torches held in their hands to provide light.

"Come, Your Highnesses, your cottage awaits." The driver says kindly. He holds out his hand for the blonde princess to take and as she grabs hold of his hand, she steps out of the carriage carefully. The driver holds his hand out for Regina to take next, and as the brunette places her hand in his, she cautiously makes her way out of the carriage. Once both women are out of the carriage, the guards lead them to their cottage. The girls are lead through grassy patches of land, an alignment of tall trees, and some rose bushes before a large, yet modest, cottage comes into view. Both girls stop in their tracks and take the time to admire the cottage. There are 6 lit lanterns placed on the front porch, illuminating the cream-colored exterior of the small house.

"It's late, Your Highness. I think it is best you two went inside now. You could always admire the exterior of the cottage come the morn," one of the guards say to the women.

The two women nod their heads in agreement and make their way up the cobble stone path leading to the front door of the cottage. The same guard who had spoken before, offers Emma the key. As she takes it, she nods her head in thanks. She turns towards Regina momentarily and takes in the sight of the brunette's heaving chest. She never once took into account that the brunette would be as nervous, as she herself, was. Without a second thought, Emma enters the key into the lock and pushes open the door.

Emma and Regina take their first steps into the cottage together, admiring the modest interior of the place. There's two small sofas in the corner of the room along with a spinning wheel and a vanity. There's a small wooden table in the center of the room and a vase filled with lilacs resting on top of it. As the two girls take in the rest of the room, the two guards stand there uncomfortably, more than ready to retire to their beds for the night.

"I think you two should get some rest. It has been a long journey for all of us," the usually silent guard says to the two women. Regina scoffs.

"That's just your way of saying that you're tired and would like to go home and rest in your beds. If you're that tired, then run along now,"the brunette says to the two guards, waving her hand in dismissal as she disappears into the bedroom. Emma smiles apologetically at her guards and nods at them.

"You two can go home and rest. I believe Princess Mills and I will be fine for the night. Have a good night," Emma says to them kindly. They bow at her and she curtsies at them in response. They offer her a kind smile as they walk out of the cottage, closing the door behind them. As soon as they are gone, Emma turns around and heads into the bedroom. Once she enters, she sees something that makes her blood run cold. "What is this?" Emma asks in horror.

"I believe that this is a bed, princess," Regina says in obvious manner. The blonde gulps nervously as she takes in the sight of the single bed located in the middle of the room. Regina takes in the sight of the shell-shocked expression on the blonde's face and snorts in amusement. "Did you really think that we were going to get separate beds?"

"Yes!" Emma exclaims to the brunette, not being able to take her eyes off of the single bed. Regina snorts again.

"I mentioned that we would have to be sharing a bed earlier while we were in the carriage. Did you take what I said as a joke?"

"Yes! I really did! I didn't think you were serious!" Emma exclaims helplessly. Regina takes in the girl's shocked expression and almost feels an ounce of pity for her…almost.

"Well, I was. So pick a side." The brunette princess says to the blonde.

"What?"

"Pick a side of the bed, Ms. White. Unless you plan to sleep on the hard and uncomfortable floor."

Emma gulps nervously and eyes the bed nervously.

_Pick a side._


	2. Chapter 2

"Stop hogging all of the cover, Regina!"

"I'll do that when you stop hogging all of the space on the mattress."

"This a large bed. You have as much space as I do."

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me rephrase that. I'll stop hogging the cover when I have _even more_ space than you."

Emma huffs at the difficult brunette and tries to snatch the covers off of her. The brunette holds onto the covers tightly, preventing the blonde from successfully pulling it over her own body. Emma decides to spread her arms and legs over to the brunette's side of the mattress, taking up most of her side of the bed, as well as Regina's. Regina growls at the blonde, and pushes her off of the bed. Emma lands on the wooden floor with a loud thud, a pained groan escaping her mouth at the impact of the fall.

"What did you do that for?" The blonde yells from her spot on the wooden floor.

Regina cackles and Emma hears the brunette shift on the bed. Slowly, she lifts herself off of the floor and stands up facing Regina, her green eyes now connected to a set of mocha brown ones in a challenging manner. Regina smirks at the blonde and shrugs her response. Emma glares at the insufferable woman before turning on her heels and marching out of the room. She spots the sofa at the corner of the living room and decides to make that her bed for the night. Without another word, Emma lays her body across the soft sofa and stares up at the cottage ceiling.

Why did she have to have the misfortune of being married to such a cruel and insufferable soul? Why couldn't her parents find a different way to form an alliance with the Mills Kingdom? Did they really not consider how unhappy this arranged marriage would make her? Did they really not understand that they couldn't have chosen a worse match for her? She is now stuck in this sham of a marriage with her mortal enemy, who she has shared a major dislike with for the last 14 years. It is a known fact that Regina and Emma have never and _will_ _never_ get along. Emma and Regina have both accepted that fact, so why couldn't their parents? Were they really that blind to the girls' obvious disdain towards one another or were they just that dispassionate?

A few feet away in the cottage's only bedroom, lies a pensive Regina, staring up at the ceiling with sadness marring her features. She doesn't want to be here. She doesn't want to be stuck here with, Emma White, of all people. She wants to be with Daniel, her one true love, being held in his arms as she listens to him whisper sweet nothings in her ear. She misses that and she misses him. Do her parents care so little for her that they'd marry her off to her worst enemy and then ship her off to live with said enemy, in the middle of the enchanted forest? She guesses the answer is "yes", they really do care so little for her. A sad sigh escapes her lips as she shifts her body so that she is now laying on her side. She's always tried to be the perfect daughter for her parents, but it seems to never have been enough for them. She didn't have the ruthlessness of her mother or the dimwittedness of her father, she was always her own person, one who had her own thoughts and dreams. Her parents could not stand her independence or freedom of thought, so they did the one thing they knew could strip her of that: marriage. A forced marriage at that.

She knows that she can't fault Emma for this situation, seeing as how the blonde is as miserable and powerless as she is. But she can't help but feel resentful towards the blonde. If Snow White and Prince Charming hadn't had a child then Regina wouldn't have had anyone in the White Kingdom to get married to. She could've been free to love Daniel, free to marry him, free to spend the rest of her life with him…but now that is _not_ and _will never_ be an option. Regina sighs sadly to herself and snuggles her face into her pillow, wrapping the covers around her body, forcing sleep to take over.

* * *

Emma woke up the next morning, her body riddled with cramps. She stretches her arms out above her head, her muscles cracking at the action, and lets out a loud yawn. The first thing she notices as she awakes is a blanket spread over her body. Emma look down at the blanket in puzzlement, not having any memory of placing it there. The next thing she notices is a pillow that was placed beneath her head. She looks at the pillow in confusion, not recalling that being there when she fell asleep either. Before she has time to further ponder the random appearance of these items, Regina emerges from the bedroom, still dressed in her white silk nightgown.

"Good morning, Princess. Have a good rest on that lumpy old couch?" Regina asks her with an amused smirk. Emma huffs at the brunette and rolls her eyes in annoyance.

"Good morning to you, too, Your Royal Bitchiness," Emma retorts, ignoring the brunette's teasing.

Wanting to separate herself from the dour brunette, Emma gets up from her spot on the couch and walks into the bedroom, grabbing a washcloth, a towel, a white blouse and a pair of red riding pants. Emma walks back out of the bedroom, walking past an eating Regina in the kitchen, and heads outside towards the bathhouse. As she enters the small and quaint bathhouse, she spots her two guards filling the aluminum tub with steaming water. She clears her throat, causing them to be alerted to her presence. As they catch sight of her, they offer a kind smile in her direction.

"Good morning, Your Highness. I hope your rest was well."

"It was good, Archibald. Could have been better, though," the blonde mumbles under her breath, causing a look of confusion to cross the guard's faces.

Emma musters up a small smile and waves them off, as if to say they shouldn't worry about it. The two guards exchange odd looks before shrugging and going back to their task at hand. Emma waits and watches as they fill the tub with the steaming water. Or better yet, the _tubs_. It is now that she is noticing that there are two tubs placed in this bathhouse…and they are sitting side-by-side. A dreadful feeling fills Emma's gut as she takes in the sight of the second bathtub.

_Why are both tubs placed so closely together and why isn't there at least a curtain of some sort to separate the two tubs_?

"Do you two think you can do me a favor?" Emma asks the two guards as they place a piece of soap on the edge of each tub. They turn their attention towards the blonde and stare at her questioningly. "Do you think you guys could get a curtain of some sort for here?" Emma says, gesturing to the small space between the two tubs. The two guards shift from one foot to the other nervously, exchanging unreadable glances with one another, while Emma narrows her eyes at them suspiciously. "What is it?" She asks slowly, convinced that she's not going to like what they have to say.

"We would love to fetch you a curtain, Your Highness, we just…_can't_." The usually silent guard, Alexander, says in an apologetic tone. Emma's eyes narrow even more at the two men standing before her.

"What do you mean you _can't_? Can't or _won't_?" Emma asks challengingly.

"Can't, Your Highness. We are under the strict orders of your parents to ensure that you and Miss Regina have as little privacy with one another as possible. Your parents, as well as Regina's, feel that since you two are now married, you need to learn how to _act_ like a married couple. That means little to no privacy between you two…at least for right now." Archibald says regretfully. Emma growls lowly at that news. _The nerve of her parents! The nerve of Regina's! Who does stuff like that? _Emma thinks to herself.

"You two are dismissed. I will have my bath now," Emma says in a quiet, dangerous voice. The guards nod at the blonde and quickly scurry outside, closing the bathhouse door as they exit. Emma strips out of her nightgown and steps into the tub, the hot water feeling good on her skin. As she slides the rest of her body into the hot water, her tense muscles immediately begin to relax. She picks up her washcloth and the piece of soap resting on the edge of the tub and begins lathering herself up.

_This is so unfair_, Emma thinks to herself. Her parents are no better than any of the other controlling parents in the land. They are far from fair and selfless. They are selfish, manipulative, controlling, and iniquitous.

As Emma begins to wash her hair, Regina enters the bathhouse with her clothes and washcloth in hand. Regina stops in her tracks as she catches sight of a fully nude Emma washing herself. If that image of the White princess wasn't disturbing enough, the sight of the other tub took the whole damn cake. Regina takes in the sight of the tub and notices just how _close_ it is to Emma's.

"What is the meaning of this?" Regina demands, startling Emma out her hair washing. She hadn't even heard Regina enter. Emma doesn't have to ask the brunette what she's referring to, seeing as she had the same problem a few minutes prior.

"Ask our parents," Emma says simply, focusing her attention on washing out her hair.

Regina stands at the entrance of the bathhouse for a few more moments in silent shock. Her parents will be getting an earful from her the next time she sees them. This is outrageous! There's not even a curtain of any sorts to separate the two, _painfully close_, tubs. The brunette princess takes a deep, steadying breath and makes her way to the second tub. She hangs her washcloth and towel over the edge of the tub, preparing to strip off her nightgown when, suddenly, Emma's eyes flick to her own. Regina lets out an irritated huff.

"Do you mind?"

"Not if you don't," Emma shoots back.

Regina lets out an annoyed groan and glares in Emma's direction. Emma puts her hands up in mock surrender and turns her head in the opposite direction, giving Regina the privacy to undress. Regina quickly strips out of her nightgown and steps into the tub, sliding her body into the, now warm, water. She lets out an appreciative noise as the warm water loosens up the knots in her muscles. She then grabs the washcloth and soap and begins lathering herself up. Just as she begins to work on her hair, the sounds of splashing water catches her attention. Regina turns her head in the direction of Emma's tub and her eyes widen as she takes in the sight of the blonde's nude body, now on full display.

"What do you think you're doing?" Regina asks in panic as her eyes snap to the blonde's perky breasts that seem to be staring back at her. Emma looks at Regina with a smirk as she grabs her towel and begins drying off her damp skin and hair.

"I'm drying myself off, what does it look like?" Emma asks in amusement. Regina huffs at the girl and shrugs, once again focusing on her own bath. Emma lets out a snort at the brunette's obvious discomfort and decides to pull on her undergarments, then her blouse and finally, her riding pants. Once she is done, she looks towards Regina's drenched form. "We're going riding today with the guards. Be sure to wear something comfortable." And with that, Emma exits the bathhouse leaving an uncomfortable Regina.

"We need a damn wall to separate these tubs…" Regina mutters quietly to herself as she continues on with her bath.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you always so shameless when it comes to displaying your nudity to others?" Regina asks Emma as their horses slowly walk together side-by-side, the guards just a few steps ahead of them on their own horses. Emma looks at Regina with a brow raised and an amused smirk playing on her lips. Instead of rewarding the brunette's question with an answer, Emma turns her face forward, focusing on following the trail ahead of them. Regina glares at the blonde's profile, trying to get the woman to face her again. Instead of bending to the brunette's will, Emma simply keeps her face turned forward, the teasing smirk only widening as she feels the brunette's eyes burning into the side of her face. "Miss White, you will answer me when I am talking to you!" Regina whisper yells at Emma, causing the blonde to turn to Regina with a look of amusement.

"Yes, Your Highness," Emma says to the other girl, mockingly. Regina's eyes narrow dangerously at the blonde and instead of feeling intimidated, Emma simply laughs at the other girl's expression. "You have never been able to intimidate me, Regina, might as well quit while you're behind. And to answer your question: no. I am not always so shameless; to be quite honest, I have always been extremely modest _but_ seeing as how our bathhouse arrangement has left no room for modesty, I threw all sense of insecurity to the wind. I hate this whole arrangement as much as you do, probably even more so, but I am trying my best not to let it get to me. Our parents obviously care little for our comfort and judging by the fact that they easily married us to one another, _against our wills_, I might add, it seems that they care very little for _us_. We're just going to have to deal with seeing each other nude, Miss Mills. Unless you want to come up with a bath schedule we can follow in order to reduce the amount of eyesores and alarmed states that we will undeniably find ourselves in…" Emma trails off.

"I think coming up with a schedule would be a wise idea. Let's get right on that when we're back at the cottage," Regina says, nodding to herself.

Emma nods at her and turns her face forward again, noticing for the first time that the guards are now more than 30 feet away from them, their horses galloping wildly through the forest. Emma turns to Regina and flashes her a challenging smile.

"I bet you three pieces of silver that I can pass the guards on my horse within the next five minutes," Regina turns her face forward again and sees that the guards are even further away than they were last time. She turns her face back towards the blonde princess and eyes her skeptically.

"You're on," Regina says, accepting the challenge.

With a smirk, Emma squeezes her leg around the horse, making it break out into a trot, then she kicks the horse with her heels, making it gain speed, she yells out a few gentle commands to her horse and kicks it a little more with her heels. The horse breaks out into a wild gallop and next thing Regina knows, it shoots forward like a rocket and within two minutes, Emma, is directly behind the two guards and then less than two minutes later, she has managed to surpass them completely. Regina stares after the girl in amazement and decides to get her horse to gain speed so she can catch up to the 3 ahead of her. Within minutes, she manages to grow a closer distance to the trio, all three now slowing down their speed. As Regina's horse approaches Emma's, the blonde offers her a cocky smirk.

"That will be three pieces of silver, please," Emma says while fluttering her eyelashes at Regina. Regina grumbles to herself and eyes the blonde princess with a scowl, her shoulders slumping in defeat.

"Whatever."

"Your Highnesses, I think we should head back to the cottage now, it looks like it's going to rain," Archibald says with his faced raised towards the sky. Emma and Regina stare up at the sky and see dark clouds starting to form over them. They nod their head in agreement at the man and set off towards the cottage.

As soon as they reach the stable located near their cottage, Emma and Regina put their horses in their rightful stall and bid their guards farewell, quickly making their way out of the stable and towards the cottage. After a fifteen minute walk, the girls reach their cottage just as the rain begins to pour down. The moment they reach inside, the rain begins to pour harder, lightning and thunder now accompanying the heavy rainfall.

"That was a close one," Emma says as she and Regina walk into their bedroom, Emma now stripping off her blouse without warning. Regina blanches at the girl, her eyes widened in panic as she takes in the sight of Emma's toned abs and perky breasts staring back at her for a second time today. Emma pays no attention to Regina as she strips off her red riding pants, leaving a slack-jawed Regina gaping at the perfectly round buttocks clad in silky black underwear. Gathering her bearings, Regina clears her throat uncomfortably, causing Emma to turn back to her with a curious expression.

"I don't understand why you continue to undress in front of me in such a shameless manner," Regina complains, averting her gaze from the toned muscles of the blonde's thighs and calves.

"I don't understand why you keep watching me undress. If it makes you so uncomfortable maybe you should turn your head, close your eyes or just leave the room altogether," Emma says in a flat tone as she pulls on a clean red blouse, leaving her bottom half completely bare, with the exception of her underwear. Regina's eyes widen as she watches the blonde brush past her and go out into the living room.

_The nerve of that girl! Strutting around this cottage half naked as if it isn't a big deal. Now she's practically forcing me to stare at her toned legs. She is insufferable! _Regina thinks to herself as she goes through her wardrobe and pulls out a purple blouse and crop pants. She quickly changes out of her riding clothes and slips on the new clothes before heading out to the living room to join Emma on the sofa. As soon as she sits down, the blonde offers her a cup of tea. Regina takes it and thanks the blonde quietly before taking a tentative sip of the warm liquid. She hums in delight at the soothing feel of the warm liquid massaging her throat.

"So would you like to make that bathhouse schedule now?" Emma asks Regina before she takes another sip of her tea. Regina nods her head and Emma produces a piece of parchment, a feather pen, and a tiny bottle of ink. "Okay, how do you want this to go, your royal bitchiness?" Emma asks her teasingly. Regina rolls her eyes in annoyance at the blonde and snatches the pen and parchment from the blonde, writing down the schedule she had in mind. After about an hour of arguing, the two finally worked out a schedule that works for both of them. "Now that we've got that problem out of the way, is there anything else you have a problem with?"

"Yes. Your lack of clothing. Put some on for gods' sakes, it's distracting and just makes me downright uncomfortable," Regina says with disgust and a visible shudder. The blonde rolls her eyes at the brunette's dramatics and shakes her head in the negative.

"Sorry, but that request is nonnegotiable. You must be forgetting that I live here too, I have the right to walk around the house as I please," the blonde princess says sternly, leaving no room for argument, which automatically makes Regina want to argue.

"How would you feel if I decided to walk around this house in the nude? Are you saying that you wouldn't find that bothersome?" Regina asks with a raised brow. Emma shrugs at her.

"I already saw you naked this morning in the bathhouse. If you want to walk around here naked, then go right ahead. It's nothing I haven't seen before," Emma replies in a deadpan voice, though her eyes are shining with amusement. Regina blanches at the girl for the third time today, left completely speechless. Emma smirks at the girl and gets up from the sofa, peeking outside the window for a moment before turning back to the brunette. "The rain doesn't like it'll be letting up any time soon, so I think I'm going to take a nap," with that being said, the blonde walks into the bedroom leaving a, still gaping, Regina behind.

"The nerve of that girl," Regina whispers under hear breath.

* * *

_Later that night_

"Stop hogging the covers, Regina! Are you seriously going to do this every night?" Emma asks in frustration, tiredness clear in her tone.

"Yes," Regina answers back, an equally tired tone in her voice. Regina snuggles further into her pillow, pulling the covers around her body tightly, leaving little to none for Emma. She sleepily smirks to herself as she hears Emma's groan of frustration. She feels a shift on the bed before, suddenly, the cover is being ripped off of her. "Hey!" She yells as she turns to Emma, who is smirking at her victoriously.

"Either you share the cover with me or you get none at all." Emma says sternly. The brunette narrows her eyes challengingly, Emma matching her look. Regina quickly grabs the cover and tugs on it, only for it to be tugged back in the opposite direction by Emma. The brunette growls dangerously at the blonde, pulling on the cover more forcefully this time, causing Emma to lurch forward and the blonde's lips to land on the brunette's. Their lips make contact for half a second before they pull back quickly and stare at each other in bewilderment.

"I'm going to go sleep on the sofa!" Emma loudly, _too loudly_, declares, before getting up from her spot on the bed and walking out of the room swiftly, leaving behind a frightened Regina. Regina stares at the open bedroom door for a few stunned moments before shaking her head and snapping out of the trance she seems to have found herself in.

_Gross, my lips have been tainted by Emma White. Just what I needed_. Regina thinks to herself in disgust, completely ignoring her wildly beating heart and sweaty palms as she makes herself comfortable on the bed and forces herself to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

It has been two weeks since the girls' accidental kiss in the bedroom and to say that things have been awkward between them, would be an understatement. Instead of attempting to sleep in the bedroom with Regina again, Emma has made the lumpy sofa her permanent bed. Regina knows how uncomfortable the sofa can be to sleep on and even though she feels sorry for the blonde's aching body and stiff neck, she's actually quite grateful to have time away from the other girl. Besides the, _now_, private bath times and their separate bedtimes, the two rarely have time apart from one another. During the day, where one goes, the other must follow. If Emma has a sword fighting lesson, a hand-to-hand combat lesson, a ballroom dance lesson, or an archery lesson, Regina must follow and vice versa. Even though the two have only been married for a little over a week and have once carried dislike for one another, living together has made them able to coexist with each other peacefully. Well, as peacefully as they can possibly be with one another. They don't know it yet, but they are beginning to tolerate each other more and more each day.

* * *

"So according to Archibald, our parents will be coming for a visit next week to check up on us," Emma says to Regina as she comes back into the cottage from her bath, now dressed in comfy trousers and a white blouse. Regina looks up from her porridge and gives Emma a disbelieving look at the girl's announcement.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me! Those inconsiderate imbeciles can stay at their precious kingdoms! They are the last people on earth I'd want to see," Regina says with her lip curled in disgust.

Emma nods her head in agreement, a scowl fixed on her face at the thought of seeing her parents again. Emma doesn't understand how their parents could possibly have the nerve to come visit them so soon. How do you marry your child off to a person that they don't love against their will, ship them off to live with said person in the middle of nowhere, order your guards to make sure they have as little privacy between them as possible, and then have the nerve to come over for a visit just three weeks after all of that was done? That is just unacceptable, in Emma's opinion. Emma sighs heavily to herself and walks over to the kitchen table to join Regina for breakfast. Regina wordlessly pushes a bowl of porridge in front of the blonde, quickly resuming the consumption of her own porridge, soon after.

Emma turns to look at Regina, a small smile on her face. "thanks," she mutters to the brunette as she picks up her spoon. The brunette offers a dismissive hum and keeps her eyes on her breakfast, refusing to spare a glance towards Emma. Emma smirks to herself as she notices the light tinge of pink on the other girl's cheeks, most likely elicited from embarrassment at doing a civil act towards her. Emma laughs softly to herself and begins eating her porridge. The two girls eat together in a peaceful silence, the only sounds coming from the scraping of their spoons against their bowls and their soft breathing.

"So what are we doing today?" Regina asks Emma as she finishes her porridge. As Emma takes the last bite of her own porridge, she pushes the bowl away from her and turns to look towards Regina with a teasing smirk.

"We're doing your favorite activity today: Archery!" Emma says with faux glee, causing the brunette to groan in displeasure. Emma giggles at the girl's dissatisfied expression and gets up from the kitchen table, taking their two bowls to the basin filled with water, and washing them out. She places the bowls face-down on a dish towel and moves over to her bed (aka the sofa) and gestures for Regina to join her. The brunette sluggishly complies and takes a seat next to the blonde, sitting beside her awkwardly. Both girls realize just how awkward it is to be near each other when they don't have a distraction to keep their focus on.

"So.."

"So…"

They continue to sit there awkwardly, stealing the occasional glance at each other and turning away quickly when the other catches them looking. Since the accidental grazing of their lips, they've been like this. A knock on the cottage door has both girls jumping up, Emma reaching for the door handle and pulling it open to reveal Archibald and Alexander.

"YourHighnesses," The guards bow to the two princesses, receiving a curtsy from them in response. "Are you ready for today's lessons?" Archibald asks, holding out a bow and a quiver filled with arrows. Emma nods her head and takes the offered items. Alexander holds out the same items to Regina and she takes it from the man wordlessly. "Alright then. Let's head out. Your steeds are waiting out front for you. We will be going to the archery practice field near our cottage today. Let's get a move on, ladies," Archibald says to the two girls, leading them out to their horses. Emma runs her hand through her horse, Rocket's, mane. The black horse nudges his head further into the blonde's hand, making a sound of obvious contentment. Regina does the same to her caramel colored horse, Cotton, eliciting the same reaction as Rocket. Both guards stare at the scene in front of them with small smiles on their faces.

"Alright ladies, sorry to break up your petting fest, but we must begin our training right away," Alexander says softly.

The girls nod their head at the man, and pull the strap of the quiver across their chests, their bows being grasped tightly in their hands as they jump onto their respective horses. They all begin trotting away on the horses and continue on for a few minutes until they reach their destination. They all get off of their horses and walk onto the archery field.

"Alex and I are going to finish setting up the field, you two should do a few practice shots. You can aim at any of the targets on this side of the field," Archibald points to the left side of the field where all of the targets are set up. "We'll be with you both in a few minutes time," with that, Archibald and Alexander walk to the other side of the field, setting up more targets. Regina usually gets her lessons from Alexander on the right side of the field and Emma usually gets her lessons from Archibald on the left side of the field. It's done this way so that the girl's don't end up accidentally shooting one another.

Emma reaches her hand behind her and takes out a bowl from the quiver. She picks up her bow and places the arrow into the string. She gets into the proper stance and pulls back the arrow, until the fletching is lined up with her chin. She eyes her target for a few moments and then releases the arrow. She and Regina watch as the arrow tears through the air and lands right on the bulls eye. Emma smiles to herself in satisfaction and walks over to the target to pull out her arrow. As soon as she walks back over to Regina, she eyes the girl challengingly. Regina rolls her eyes at the girl, and takes an arrow out of the quiver. She brings up her bow and gets into a less graceful stance than Emma. She pulls her arrow on the string, pulling it back until the fletching reaches just below her chin. She focuses on her target and then releases the arrow. The two girls watch as the arrow flies through the air but doesn't hit the bull's eye. Instead of the arrow piercing the target board, it pierces a nearby tree.

Emma chuckles loudly, causing Regina to blush in embarrassment. The brunette walks up the tree and pulls forcefully on the arrow, stumbling back a few steps as it is freed from the tree. She walks back over to Emma, a slightly embarrassed look on her face. Emma snorts at the girl and Regina smacks her on the arm. "Shut up," the brunette mumbles quietly.

"Make me," Emma says defiantly. Regina eyes the blonde dangerously and smacks her on the arm again and again and again until Emma catches the girl's offending hand in her own, pulling her closer. Their faces are suddenly pulled into a closer proximity, the once playful expressions on their faces gone, and a dazed expression now spread across their faces. They stare at one another in tense silence, just staring into each other's eyes. The guards, who finished their task minutes ago, watch the scene from afar, small smiles playing on their lips.

"They are definitely going to fall for each other," Alexander says with a small laugh, Archibald joining in as he takes in the scene before him.

"Yep. Do you think we should interrupt them? We _do_ still have a lesson to get on with."

"Right. Let's go." The two guards slowly approach the two girls, clearing their throats loudly. The two princesses are snapped out of their staring contest and turn their attention towards the guards, both of their cheeks flushed in embarrassment. Alexander notices how the two girls quickly let go of each other's hand and distance themselves from one another.

"Come, Alexander. Let us start our lesson," Regina says, walking over to her side of the field without so much as a backwards glance, Alexander following closely behind her. Archibald takes notice as Emma's eyes follow after the brunette until she catches him looking at her. She uncomfortably clears her throat and gestures towards the targets.

"Let's start this lesson," The blonde mutters to her guard, causing the man to smile inwardly at her embarrassment. _And people say that watching after two 18 year old girls wouldn't be entertaining. _Archibald thinks to himself as he starts their lesson.

* * *

_Later that day—Bedtime_

Regina can't sleep. She's been lying awake in bed for the last few hours trying to force sleep to take over…but it hasn't. She doesn't understand what's going on with her anymore. After her accidental kiss with Emma two weeks ago and then the intense staring match she and Emma had today during their archery lessons, she doesn't know what she feels anymore. She's come to the conclusion that she doesn't hate the blonde nearly as much as she did a few weeks ago, though the blonde still manages to drive her insane. Her thoughts of Daniel have become less frequent over the last 14 days. She still feels love for the man and would still like to see him again, but lately, those feelings seems to be fading. It's concerning her, greatly.

Out in the living room, on the uncomfortable sofa, is a tossing and turning, Emma. Emma can't sleep at all. She keeps replaying the intense moment she and Regina had today. She started feeling a strange stirring in her stomach when her green eyes locked onto the beautiful mocha brown ones. She's never felt that stirring before, it was strange, but in a good way. She doesn't know how to explain it exactly, but she started getting those weird stirring feelings in her gut since their accidental kiss two weeks ago. Since then, she started seeing Regina a bit differently. Sure, she still thought Regina was insufferable and unnecessarily difficult at times but she realized that it was just part of the brunette's personality. Of course her attitude still managed to drive Emma up a wall, but not as much as before. Emma doesn't know what's going on with her anymore…she doesn't understand what it is she's feeling towards Regina anymore, all she knows is that it is not hate. But it is something else, something that she can't quite put her finger on.

Emma tries to make herself comfortable on the couch again but to no avail, she's just as uncomfortable as before. She decides to sit up with her little throw blanket and stares at the slightly ajar bedroom door. She stares at the door for a few more moments and then makes up her mind. Swallowing her pride, she pushes open the bedroom door, startling a thoughtful, Regina. Regina looks towards the door and sees Emma standing there with her pillow and throw blanket in her arms.

"Can I help you, Miss White?" Regina asks with an eyebrow raised. Instead of supplying the girl with an answer, Emma walks over to the bed and sits down, placing her pillow at the head of the bed. As she lies down on it, a hum of delight escapes her mouth as the soft mattress presses against her aching back. "Uh…what do you think you're doing?" Regina asks as she watches the blonde make herself comfortable.

"I think that I'm going to sleep in here tonight," she says in a deadpan voice, turning on her side to face Regina. Regina inaudibly gulps as her brown eyes connect with the piercing green ones.

"If you must," Regina says with a huff as she turns her back to the blonde, snuggling her head further into her pillow. She listens to the blonde's steady breaths for a few moments until her breaths even out completely. Regina turns over slightly and eyes the, now asleep, blonde. She watches the girl sleep for a few moments until she realizes what she's doing.

_Well, this is awkward. _Regina thinks to herself as she turns back and stares at the nearby wall. She stares at the wall until sleep finally manages to take over.


	5. Chapter 5

Regina woke up with a start the next morning. She felt something was off…_very_ off. As she opened her eyes, she quickly scanned the room for something out of place but found nothing wrong….that was, until she realized that there were two strong arms wrapped around her waist. Slowly, she rotated her head to peek behind her and found Emma's forehead resting against her back, the blonde's hair spread across _her_ pillow. Regina slowly turns her head forward again and closes her eyes shut, quietly counting to three as a way to slow down her erratic heartbeat. She, slowly, opens her eyes and sits up, causing the blonde's arms to fall from her waist and for the girl in question to begin stirring in her sleep. Regina watches as the blonde's eyes flutter open and lock onto hers.

"G'morning," Emma says groggily. Regina looks at her with a raised brow and scoffs. Emma looks at the brunette in confusion, not understanding her unwarranted bad attitude. "What crawled up your ass this morning?" She asks as she sits up on the bed, eyeing Regina with a curious expression.

"I think the better question is: what snuck their arms around my waist and spooned me this morning? In case you don't know the answer to that question, it was _you_. I woke up to you _spooning_ me, Miss White. What the hell is up with that? First you kiss me and now _this_?" Regina asks the girl with a hint of disdain. Emma looks at the girl incredulously.

"_I_ kissed _you_? Are you kidding me? I did no such thing. If I remember correctly, it was _you_ who _pulled_ _me_ _towards_ _you_. You're obviously the one that wanted me to kiss you; it was completely out of _my_ control," Emma says, crossing her arms over her chest defiantly. Regina blanches at the girl's accusation.

"I would never willingly kiss you, Miss White. You are definitely _not_ my type."

"Well, that's just fine and dandy because you aren't my type either." Emma says through gritted teeth. She lets out an annoyed huff and gets off of the bed, going towards the wardrobe to gather some clothes, a washcloth, and a towel.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"To take my bath," Emma says to the brunette dismissively, walking out of the room without a backwards glance.

Regina watches after the blonde until she hears the cottage door open and close. She sighs to herself and lies back down on the bed. She studies the plain ceiling for a few moments, and lets out a soft sigh. She knows that she overreacted and usually, she doesn't feel bad for lashing out at others…but for some reason, she actually feels bad for lashing out at Emma. She knows that Emma isn't at fault for snuggling her in her sleep. For all she knows, Emma might have been used to sleeping with a stuffed animal every night and mistakenly grabbed Regina during her slumber. Regina sighs to herself again before dragging her body out of bed. She decides that she might as well apologize while she still has the nerve to do so. Without further thought, Regina makes her way out of the cottage and walks into the bathhouse, her hand already over her eyes as she enters.

"Regina? What the hell are you doing in here? It's my turn for a bath, you can wait until I'm done," Emma says dismissively, the sounds of splashing water now filling Regina's ears. Regina peeks through her fingers and sees Emma's head now below the water, most likely washing out her hair. When the blonde comes back up, Regina closes up the crack in her fingers and stops peeking.

"I came in here to apologize for my rudeness. I understand that you didn't intentionally spoon me and I realize that I was just overreacting. So, I'm sorry," Regina says sincerely. A silence permeates the bathhouse and soon, Regina finds herself removing her hand from her eyes. She looks at Emma and sees the blonde staring at her with a flabbergasted expression.

"You're _apologizing_?" The blonde asks in a surprised tone. Regina mutely nods at the girl and watches as her eyes pop out of her head. "I didn't even know you were _capable_ of doing such an act. Wow, apology accepted, Your Royal Bitchiness," Emma says to Regina, a teasing smile playing on her lips. Instead of Regina taking offense to the words, she simply nods at the other girl and exits the bathhouse, leaving a slightly amused, Emma, to ponder over what just occurred.

_Regina can feel remorse. Well, how about that. _Emma thinks to herself as she continues her bath.

* * *

"Hold the hilt firmer. Straighten up your stance and always be in a defensive position. Never let your guard down when you are in a sword fight because then you'd risk letting your opponent get the upper hand and that is not something you'd want to happen, is it, Regina?" Alexander asks Regina as they continue their sword fighting lessons. Regina shakes her head in the negative and Alexander takes her sword from her. "Why don't we take a 10 minute break? Get some water and sit down for a while to catch your breath. We'll come back to this once your break is over, okay?" Alexander says to her kindly, she simply nods her head in agreement and walks over to the wooden table set up at the sideline of the open field. She picks up the pitcher of water and pours it into a glass cup. She takes an appreciative sip of the cool liquid and walks over to a nearby seat.

As she sits down, the sounds of clashing metal fills her ears. Regina takes another sip of her water as she watches Emma and Archibald spar with each other. She watches how Emma ducks in time, as Archibald swings his sword towards her neck, and how she easily deflects each of his attacks with her sword. Archibald slashes his sword through the air, aiming for the left side of Emma's body, but the blonde skillfully ducks and rolls out of the way, delivering a sweep kick to his feet, causing the burly man to lose his balance. As he falls to the ground, Emma places the tip of her sword against his stomach with a triumphant smirk on her face. Archibald looks up at the blonde with a genuine smile on his lips.

"King James has taught you well." He says, clearly impressed. Regina catches the uncomfortable expression that flashes across the blonde's face at being compared to her father. Emma forces a small smile towards the man and offers him her hand. He takes it gratefully as she pulls him up. "That was excellent, Emma. Go take a break and get some water, we'll continue in a moment." Emma nods at him silently and walks over to the table, pouring herself a large glass of water and then downing it after a few seconds. She pours a second glass of water and walks over to Regina with her cup in hand.

"Hey," Emma says as she approaches the brunette, deciding to take a seat in the abandoned chair next to Regina.

"Hey."

"How are lessons going for you today?" Emma asks the brunette casually as she takes a sip from her glass. Regina looks at the girl curiously.

"It's going fine, why?"

"Just checking. I've noticed over the last few weeks that you've been having some trouble adjusting to the whole fighting thing. The only thing you seem to have down pat, is ballroom dancing. Why don't you spar with me sometime?" Emma asks Regina. Regina narrows her eyes at the girl, curiously.

"Why would I want to do that with _you_, when I have a perfectly capable guard to teach me?" Emma rolls her eyes at the girl and releases an exasperated sigh.

"You could use the extra practice, Regina. What if we were under attack and neither of the guards could get to us in time? Would you want to risk not knowing how to defend yourself properly and _die._ Or would you like be fully prepared and _alive_? My parents are Snow White and Prince Charming, Regina, I am more than skilled in archery, sword-fighting, and hand-to-hand combat. If you need the help, I will gladly offer it to you," Emma says to the girl sincerely, and not in the condescending manner that Regina was expecting. Regina thinks it over for a few seconds.

"If I take you up on this offer, what exactly is it that you'd expect in return?" Regina asks with a raised brow. Emma smirks at the brunette, her green eyes twinkling with amusement. Regina decides, just by that look alone, that she isn't going to like what the girl has to say.

"I want you to help me with my ballroom dancing. Archibald is great and all, but he tends to step on my toes and there is only so much abuse that my feet can handle. I've seen you practice with Alexander and you're a natural. So I was thinking that if I help _you_, then you could help _me_ in return. So what do you say? Be my dance partner?" Emma says in a friendly tone, her eyes sparkling with hope. Regina can't help but find, Emma, cute, in this moment. It startles her. Regina lets out a defeated sigh and nods her head in agreement.

"Fine. We have a deal, Miss White," Regina says to the blonde, holding out her hand to the girl. Emma takes Regina's hand in hers and they shake on it.

"Okay, break over, Regina. Let's get back to work," Alexander says. Regina hands Emma her glass of water and picks up her sword from the ground beside her. Emma watches after the brunette in amusement, placing the other girl's glass on top of the, now, abandoned chair beside her. Emma watches as Regina gets into a graceless stance, holding her sword at a crooked angle. She quietly snorts in laughter as Alexander swings his sword at the girl, causing Regina to jump in fright and drop her sword altogether. "Come on, Regina. Pick up the sword and let's go again. If this were a real fight, you would have already been killed," Regina mutters something underneath her breath and picks up her sword again.

Emma watches as the girl gets back into the same stance as before. Her form is all wrong. Why, Alexander, isn't correcting the girl, is beyond Emma. Emma takes another sip of her water and watches as Regina successfully, although a bit clumsily, blocks Alexander's attack. Alexander strikes his sword towards her neck, and just in the nick of time, Regina ducks, delivering a punch to his abdomen. Alexander stumbles back a few inches and Regina swings her sword towards the man, accidentally releasing her sword from her grasp, sending it flying 6 feet away from them. Alexander releases a heavy sigh and places the tip of his sword to Regina's stomach.

"You are dead. I have killed you 10 times today alone."

"Whatever," Regina mumbles to the man, walking past him wordlessly and retrieving her fallen sword from the ground.

"Emma, you up for another round?" Archibald asks her. She nods at the man mutely and places her glass on the seat next to Regina's. She picks up her sword from the ground beside her and spares one last glance toward the brunette.

"You are going to be a challenge to teach," Emma says quietly to herself as she watches Regina drop her sword for the nth time today.

* * *

_Later that night—Bedtime_

"You were terrible today. Like, I didn't even think it was _possible_ for someone to be that awful at sword fighting," Emma says to Regina as they lie in bed together, Emma's face turned towards Regina's back.

"Not everyone was raised knowing how to fight, Miss White."

"You just rhymed."

"Shut up. Like I was saying, not everyone was raised knowing how to fight or how to use weapons. My mother fights with dark magic and my father is a coward. I didn't have warrior parents such as your own to teach me sword fighting or archery or anything of that nature, Regina tells the blonde. Emma stares at the girl's back curiously.

"Your mom has magic?"

"Yes," Regina answers simply. Emma's eyes widen at that news.

"Does that mean that you have magic?"

"Nope. I do not have magic. None that I know of, anyway," Regina says simply, never turning to face Emma.

"So do—"Emma never gets to finish her sentence before Regina cuts her off.

"Miss White, I am exhausted. All I want to do right now is sleep. So if you could please silence whatever questions you have until the morning, I would greatly appreciate it," Regina says in a tired voice. Emma shuts her mouth and does as she's asked. When the brunette's breaths even out, Emma moves closer to her, resting her forehead against the brunette's back, snuggling her body a little closer to the other girl's.

Unknown to her, a figure outside of the bedroom window was watching her every move.


	6. Chapter 6

_3 Days later_

Regina awoke to being snuggled, once again, by Emma. Only this time, the blonde's arms weren't wrapped around her waist, but one hand was placed on top of her hip, while the other was placed underneath the blonde's pillow. Emma's face was snuggled into Regina's chocolate brown locks, breathing evenly, still fully asleep. Regina's breath hitches at the close contact. She stays still for a few more moments, unconsciously enjoying the feel of Emma's touch, without even realizing her actions, Regina places her hand on top of the one, Emma, has rested on top of her hip. As soon as their hands make contact, an electric current passes through their bodies. Emma jolts awake and snatches back her hand while, Regina, lies still, shutting her eyes tightly and pretending to still be asleep.

"What the _hell_ was that?" Regina hears Emma whisper to herself. "Regina? Regina, wake up," Emma whispers harshly to the girl, shaking the brunette's shoulder roughly, trying to awaken her.

Regina releases an annoyed sigh and turns over to face Emma, a faux groggy expression on her face. The brunette stares at the girl with a raised brow.

"What is it, princess?" Regina asks in an annoyed tone.

Emma studies the brunette's face for a moment, a fluttering feeling taking place in her gut. She swallows nervously and forces herself to speak. She honestly has no clue what's going on with her anymore, or what the fluttering feeling means exactly, she's honestly never felt anything like it before…until now. It's disturbing her greatly but she can't do anything about it. As she continues to eye Regina, she sees the other girl eyeing her with a weirded out expression plastered on her face. Emma looks at her in puzzlement before realizing that's she's been staring at the other girl, wordlessly, for the past 5 minutes. She then, uncomfortably, clears her throat and forces her attention away from the gorgeous brunette. "_Did I just refer to Regina as gorgeous? Crap..."_ Emma thinks to herself in panic. The blonde then decides to shake away her nerves and gathers her bearings. _It's only Regina_, she reasons.

"Umm..I-I well…I felt a shock that literally jolted me awake. Did you feel it too or was it just me?" Emma asks the brunette nervously. Regina gulps inaudibly and shakes her head in the negative.

"No. No, I did not. I think I'm going to go take my bath," Regina says, quickly raising from the bed and walking over to her wardrobe to pull out her clothes for the day; as well as a washcloth and a towel. Without looking back, Regina walks out of the shared bedroom and walks out of the cottage, heading straight for the bathhouse. Unknown to Regina, a figure decides to follow her inside. As Regina enters the bathhouse, she immediately begins to undress. As soon as she sits in the tub, the hidden figure steps out into clear view. Her eyes go wide and a yelp escapes her throat as she stares at the unexpected company in shock.

"Hello, Regina," The man says with a small smile. Regina stares at the man for a few stunned moments, unable to open her mouth and speak. "Are you going to say anything?" The man asks in amusement as he stares at the stunned girl.

"D-daniel? What…how…when…huh?" Regina stumbles out, staring at the man in disbelief.

Daniel chuckles at her and moves to sit on the edge of Emma's tub.

"Your parents and the Whites made a trip here 3 nights ago. I overheard them talking about coming here for a surprise visit a few days ago, so when they decided to leave, I snuck onto the back of their carriage and traveled here with them. I got off when they temporarily stopped here," Daniel tells her with a mischievous smirk.

"Why are you here?" Regina asks him quietly. He looks at her with a confused expression.

"Are you not happy to see me? I came here to see you. I miss you, Regina. So much," Daniel says sincerely. Regina gulps audibly and instead of returning his sentiment she says, _"Can you turn around for a few minutes? I need to wash myself before my water gets cold."_

He nods his head and turns around.

Regina quickly lathers up her body and her hair and washes all of the suds off. She, then, step out of the tub and dries herself off, quickly slipping on her clothes for the day. "You can turn back around now." She tell shim. Slowly, he turns around and finds himself face-to-face with Regina. "I missed you too. I'm just a little shocked to see you is all. I never thought I'd see you again," She tells the man truthfully. He smiles at her and pulls her into his arms, capturing her into a tight embrace.

"Well, I'm here. And you look well," He says into her wet locks. She nods into his chest and inhales his scent. Oh, how she missed his scent. He's always smelled of hay, grass, and his own unique fragrance. "So how is your marriage going with the White princess? I'm shocked you two haven't killed each other yet, seeing as how you used to spend hours complaining about her whenever you two would have a random encounter with one another," Daniel says with a forced chuckle as he remembers what he witnessed through their bedroom window three nights ago. The sight of Emma feeling comfortable enough to snuggle closer to Regina put him a little on edge. But the sight of the small but noticeably unconscious smirk that graced Regina's face is what really worried him. He knows that Regina was already deep in slumber when the blonde got closer to her, but the fact that she smirked in her sleep at the contact is making him nervous and a bit suspicious.

"I don't hate her…at least not anymore. Don't get me wrong, I still find her insufferable and too cocky for her own good and the lack of clothing she wears around the house is deplorable…but she's really not that bad. I'm not saying that she and I are suddenly best friends, but we are learning to get along. It's actually quite nice. Strange, right?" Regina says with a small smile on her face.

"Sounds like you two are getting along quite nicely…" Daniel says with forced enthusiasm. The smile on Regina's face at the mention of Emma, unsettles him. "So would you say that you like her?" He asks slowly, not sure if he will like her answer. Regina thinks about the question for a few moments and after a few seconds, she knows the answer.

"I think so. But in a potential friend type of way, I guess. I just know that I no longer harbor any hate for her. Anyway, I have to go, Daniel. Maybe we can arrange to see each other later tonight? Or maybe tomorrow night? I need to head back in so Emma can come out here to take her bath." Regina tells him. He nods his head mutely. She smiles softly at him and nods at him.

"I'm so glad to see you, Daniel." She tells the man sincerely, leaning her head up to place a kiss on his cheek. He closes his eyes as her soft lips make contact with his cheek. The moment she pulls away, she immediately exits the bathhouse, leaving a silent Daniel behind. He turns around and exits the bathhouse a few seconds later, eager to catch up to Regina. Before she is able to enter the cottage, Daniel sneaks up behind her and spins her around, placing his lips firmly on hers. He kisses her with everything he has in him and she returns the kiss just as eagerly, though she notes that something is missing in the kiss…although, she's not quite sure what it is as of yet. Regina pulls back from the kiss and looks into his eyes, a smile placed on her lips. "See you later?" She says to him. He nods at her and turns away, walking into the forest surrounding the cottage.

She watches after him until his form disappears, a soft sigh escaping her lips as she turns to enter the cottage. The first thing she notices as she enters her home is Emma sitting by the window, her face now turned towards Regina with an unreadable expression.

"Who was that?" Emma asks quietly.

"Who was who?" Regina asks, completely deflecting the question. Emma's brows furrow at the brunette.

"Regina, who were you just kissing at the door?"  
"Why is that any of your business?"

"Well, I could bring up the argument that I'm technically your _wife_, but I won't. I'm just curious, is all." Emma says with a nonchalant shrug, though the slight quiver in her voice was easily detectable. Regina sighs to herself and for some odd reason, she actually feels guilty. Though, she's not sure why she _should_ feel guilty. She turns to Emma and locks her brown eyes onto the blonde's piercing green ones.

"His name is Daniel. He was my companion..."

"A _romantic_ companion?" Emma inquires further. Regina nods her head.

"Yes."

Emma studies the brunette's face for a few agonizing moments and releases a heavy sigh. "Were you two together when our parents forced us into this marriage?" She asks Regina softly. Regina releases a shaky breath and nods her head in confirmation. A sympathetic look crosses Emma's face at the news and she walks up to Regina, placing a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm so sorry, Regina. I can't imagine what it would be like to have someone you love torn away from you like that…" Emma tells her sincerely, a small apologetic smile on her face, though there is something unreadable in the blonde's eyes that Regina can't decipher. An emotion she isn't sure she's ever seen in the blonde's eyes before.

"Thanks. He um…he told me that our parents are here. The news they gave the guards about their visit being for next week was false. They were planning on surprising us with a visit a little earlier. I'm not sure if they have plans to see us today or tomorrow…but they're here." Regina tells Emma, causing a hard look to form on the blonde's face.

"The nerve of those people! They are certainly going to get an earful from me when I see them!" Emma says, or more like, growls. She turns her attention back to Regina. "I'm going to go take my bath. I made you a bowl of porridge and a cup of tea, it's on the table." With that, Emma walks past Regina and heads into their bedroom, only to come back out a few moments later with her clothes in hand. She walks past Regina again and heads out of the cottage door. Regina walks over to the table and sits in front of her steaming tea and porridge. She places her forehead on the tabletop and lets out a heavy sigh.

"Why is my life so dramatic?" She asks herself.

* * *

"You need to align the fletching with your chin or your nose, Regina. Just like that." Alexander says to Regina as she lines the fletching with her chin. She pulls back the arrow and releases it, successfully hitting the target board, but not the target itself. Alexander smiles at her and pats her on the shoulder. "That was good. Much better!" He says, praising her. Regina smiles at him and picks up another arrow, placing it in the bow string. "Okay, do what you did before, but focus more on the target. Keep your eye on the bull's eye and make sure your arrow is aligned with it." He tells her. Regina nods at him and focuses hard on the target. She releases her arrow and hits right beside the bull's eye. Missing only by a centimeter or so. "Excellent! You're getting there, Regina, Just keep practicing. I'll be right back, I'm just going to fetch us a cup of water." Alexander says, leaving Regina to practice.

"Looking good out there. It looks like our extra practice is paying off." Emma says from behind Regina. Regina turns around to face the blonde.

"Thanks. It looks like it is. Thanks for helping me, Emma. It's really helping me out." Regina says sincerely, picking up another arrow. The sound of a gasp causes her to turn back to the blonde, a teasing smile now on the other girl's face. Regina raises a brow at the girl, a puzzled look now gracing her face.

"What?" Regina asks her, confusedly.

"You called me, Emma." The blonde princess says in awe, a warm smile now replacing the teasing one. Regina's brows furrow for a moment before her eyes widen in realization. Regina clears her throat uncomfortably and shrugs her shoulders nonchalantly. She picks up her arrow and places it into the bow string. She focuses on her target and does her best to ignore the smile being sent her way. She releases the arrow and watches as it lands right next to her last arrow by the bull's eye.

"That's your name, isn't it?" Regina asks with a scowl on her face. Emma giggles at the pink tint making its way onto the brunette's cheeks.

"Yes, but until right this moment, I wasn't even aware that you knew my first name. You've been calling me, Miss White since we were 4 years of age." Emma says in amusement. Regina lets out an annoyed sigh and turns towards Emma.

"Go back to your instructor, _Miss White. _I need to concentrate." Regina says to the other girl. Emma rolls her eyes playfully and lets out a playful sigh.

"As you wish, your royal bitchiness." Emma fake salutes Regina, a bright smile on her face as she turns around and walks over to Archibald. Regina smiles to herself and shakes her head in amusement at the girl before resuming her archery practice.

* * *

"You really are getting so much better at the archery. With more practice, you will successfully hit the bull's eye." Emma says to Regina as they change into their nightgowns.

"Well, thanks. I really hope so. Maybe Alexander will ease up on me from now on."

"Maybe." Emma says with a small smile as she climbs into bed. Regina soon follows after and climbs in next to Emma. Emma turns her face towards Regina and Regina turns her face towards Emma. The two girls stare at each other for a few silent moments, not really knowing what to say to one another. Emma lets out a breath she's been holding and asks the one question she's had on her mind since earlier that morning. "When are you going to see Daniel again?" the blonde asks quietly.

Regina shrugs. "I don't know. Maybe tomorrow night." She says with a long sigh.

"You don't sound excited to see him. Why is that? Don't you love him?" Emma asks in both puzzlement and hope. Luckily, Regina doesn't catch the hopefulness in the blonde's tone.

"I don't know how I feel about seeing him. I mean, I love him but at the same time…I just don't know what's wrong… There's just something missing, I guess. It's like, when we kissed and hugged and talked, it felt nice, but it just didn't feel the way that it used to. Maybe it's because I haven't seen him in about a month? I just feel so confused…" Regina says in a perplexed tone. Emma places her hand on Regina's shoulder, the way she did earlier that morning, offering whatever comfort she can to the brunette. The brunette unconsciously leans into the blonde's touch.

"It'll all be okay, Regina. I promise." Emma says to the girl softly Regina nods at her and closes her eyes.

Suddenly a knock is heard at the front door, effectively making both girl's jump in surprise. The two exchange a puzzled look and get out of their bed. Slowly, they walk to the front door, side-by-side. Neither girl was expecting anyone. Emma shakily reaches for the door handle and twists it, pushing it open. On the front porch of the cottage is the last four people either girl wants to see, especially this late at night.

"Hey, sweethearts. Aren't you going to let us in?" Cora says to the married pair with a smirk, all four pairs of eyes staring at the girls in expectation. Regina and Emma turn to look at each other, expressions of dread and anger marring their faces.

"Come in." Emma says through clenched teeth, letting their parents in.


	7. Chapter 7

"What the hell are you guys doing here?" Emma says to her parents the moment they settle down on the sofa. Her parents look at her in surprise, not expecting that type of response to their unannounced visit. They actually thought that their daughter would be happy to see them, maybe a little stunned at their unexpected visit, but still happy nonetheless. They stare up at their daughter, completely slack-jawed, while she stares at them with hard eyes and an angry expression. "Well? Are you going to answer me or are you going to stay silent the whole time you're here? If that's the case, then get out. You have no real reason to be here." Emma says angrily. Her father snaps out of his stupor and puts on a stern expression.

"Emma, we are still your parents, so you do not have the right to talk to us that way." King James says in the authoritative tone he scarcely ever used on his daughter. When Emma was younger and would do something wrong, he would use that tone of voice to make her feel guilty. In response to hearing her father use the authoritative tone, she would gulp nervously and quickly apologize for her wrong-doings. But now? That tone of voice doesn't affect her in the slightest.

"Actually, I do. I no longer consider you two my parents, so I will talk to you however I want. You forced me into a marriage and, not once, did you ever ask me how I felt about it. Not once did you ever apologize for marrying me to my worst enemy and then shipping me off into the middle of nowhere to be with them. Did you ever feel any remorse for doing that to me?" Emma asks them in a quiet voice. James and Snow look at each other and release heavy sighs before they look back at their daughter.

"Marrying you to Regina was for the good of the land, Emma. A war would have inevitably broken out and so many of our people would have been killed if we didn't form this truce with the Mills Kingdom. We were only doing what we thought was best for our people." Snow said calmly, hoping Emma would understand.

"What about what was best for me? Or what was best for Regina? Neither of us deserved to be in the middle of your petty fight. Why couldn't you just write up a truce and have both kingdoms sign it? Did you ever think of doing that or did that never cross your mind? You two think that you are the fairest in the land, but really, you two are the most selfish people I have ever met and I am ashamed to call you my parents." Emma says without emotion, her eyes hardening as she takes in her parent's shameful expressions.

"Emma, baby, please forgive us." Snow says quietly, locking eyes with her daughter, pleading with her for forgiveness.

"No. I don't think I _can_ forgive you…at least not anytime soon. I'm going to go take a walk. Don't follow me." Emma says to them as she slips on her sandals by the front door. Before she exits the cottage, she looks back at the closed bedroom door where Regina is currently talking to her parents. Emma hesitates by the door, debating on whether or not she should invite Regina to come with her, but after a while, she decides against it and walks out into the cool night air. She closes the cottage door behind her and walks aimlessly around the tiny dirt road. As she continues to walk without a particular destination in mind, her mind strays to Regina and what the brunette must be enduring at the moment.

"You are so ungrateful!" Cora spits at Regina. Regina looks up at her mom with a bored expression.

"Thank you. Are you done now? Because all of this pointless yelling is becoming tedious and quite frankly, I am done listening to anything you two have to say." Regina says in a deadpan tone, focusing all of her attention on her cuticles. She hears her mother release, what she assumes, is supposed to be a menacing growl, and maybe a month ago she would have felt intimidated by it, but now, she just doesn't care.

"What insolence! You will look at me while I am speaking to you, Regina!" Cora exclaims in a shrill voice. Regina lets out a bored sigh and looks up at her mother. She takes in the sight of the woman's dark, blazing eyes, the vein in her forehead protruding out of her skin grossly, and her olive skin turning a deep shade of purple. Regina can't seem to stop the amused smirk that begins forming on her face, nor can she stop the laugh that escapes her throat at her mother's livid appearance. "How dare you have the audacity to laugh? Henry, please smack some sense into your delinquent daughter." Cora says tiredly, looking to Henry for assistance. Regina turns her face towards her father and quirks an eyebrow at the man.

"Yes, father, please do smack some sense into me." Regina goads. Her father looks at her with tired expression and shakes his head in defeat. Regina shakes her head too, but in amusement. She turns her attention back to her mother and locks eyes with the, once, intimidating woman. "Look, mother, I don't understand what it is you expected to achieve with this little surprise visit, but whatever it is you were expecting, you're obviously not going to get it. Why don't you just save us all some time and go back to your precious kingdom. You know? The kingdom that was obviously more important to you than I ever was. So if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to go out for a walk and I'd appreciate it if you didn't follow me." Regina says dismissively, already making her way out of the room. She makes her way to the front door to put on her sandals and notices that Emma's are no longer there.

Regina turns her head to look into the living room, only to see Emma's parents sitting down on the sofa, guilty expressions on their faces. Regina scoffs at their little private pity part and walks out of the cottage. She makes her way down the dirt road and continues walking for a few minutes, until she reaches the stables. The moment she enters, she sees Emma lying on a stack of hay, her arm covering her eyes. Regina closes the stable door once she enters, causing Emma to jerk up briefly. The moment she realizes that it's just Regina entering, she exhales a breath of relief and lays back down.

"Your parents were as annoying as mine, I take it?" Emma asks Regina without sitting back up. The brunette releases a sigh and walks over to Emma, taking a seat on the stack of hay and then lying back so she is now laying at Emma's side. Emma lifts up her arm from her eyes to peek at Regina for a moment but then places it back.

"I'm pretty sure mine were worse. My mother called me ungrateful and a delinquent and all of these other things, while my father did what he does best: stay silent. He's never defended me in front of my mother….like ever. He wouldn't dare talk back to her or tell her when she's being rash or cruel. Your parents looked pretty guilty when I passed them on my way out. What did you say to them?" Regina asks Emma. Emma turns on her side and props her head up on her hand. Regina follows suit and turns to her side as well, also propping her head up onto her hand. The two girls stare into each other's eyes for a few silent moments before Emma clears her throat, remembering that Regina asked her a question.

"I told them that they were selfish and that while they were thinking about the kingdom, they should have been thinking about me and my feelings. I told them that they could have just written a truce or found some other way to form an alliance between our kingdoms. And then I left. Just looking at either of them makes me sick. My parents who I have loved for my whole life, make me feel sick. I never thought that would be possible…" Emma says with sad eyes, a tear slipping down her cheek. Without thinking, Regina lifts her hand up and tenderly brushes away the stray tear off of the blonde's cheek. Emma looks up at her and they hold each other's gazes, wordlessly.

Emma lifts her free hand and rests it atop the hand Regina, still, has on her cheek. She begins to softly caress the hand, causing the brunette's breath to hitch. Regina breaks out of her daze and snatches back her hand as if she were burned. She then proceeds to roll onto her back again, scooting away to distance herself from Emma. The blonde releases a long sigh and rolls onto her back as well.

"So…" Emma says, trying to break the tension of the moment that just occurred.

"So….." Regina mutters shakily, trying to figure out what just happened, or better yet, what might have happened if she were to keep her hand on the blonde's face. She is pretty sure that something would have happened between them, though she is not sure what that something would have been.

"Are we going to sleep in here tonight or should we head back and kick our parents out?" Emma asks. Regina just shrugs at her.

"Whatever you want to do, princess. I shall follow your lead for tonight."

"Why don't you try to see Daniel tonight or something? I thought for sure that if you stormed out of the house, you'd search for him and not me." Emma says quietly, a tint of sadness in her voice, although Regina wasn't quite sure why. Once again, the brunette shrugs her answer and turns to face Emma.

"I'll see him the next time he tries to contact me. I came looking for you because, as much as I like Daniel's company, he has no clue how I feel or what I'm going through, but you do because you are in the same exact situation. So, of course you were the obvious choice to follow. Also, I wanted to make sure you were okay…" Regina says the last part in a whisper, avoiding Emma's piercing gaze.

"You came to check on me? Why?" The blonde asks in shock. Regina lets out a sigh.

"Because… as much as you annoy me, I don't want to see you hurt. We're sort of friends now, right?" Regina says to the stunned blonde, her brown eyes searching the green ones, questioningly. Emma smiles to herself and shakes her head amusedly.

"You care about me." Emma says in a teasing voice causing Regina to huff in annoyance and cross her arms over her chest. Emma turns so she is laying on her side and pokes Regina in the cheek. "You care about me a lot, admit it." She says, continuing to playfully tease the brunette. "Regina, just admit it, you know you want to." Regina lets out a frustrated breath and turns on her side to face Emma.

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. All I know is that I don't hate you anymore and that I don't want to see you hurt."

"I'm pretty sure that means you care for me." Emma says teasingly. Regina's cheeks take on a pink tint and she clears her throat uncomfortably.

"Let's head back to the cottage. I'm suddenly feeling very tired and all I want to do is get the sleep that I desperately crave. Let's go kick out our parents." Regina says, getting up from the pile of hay and lending out a helping hand to her blonde companion. Emma takes her hand and is pulled to her feet. But just like earlier that morning, the touching of their hands causes an electric jolt to course through their bodies. They quickly snatch their hands back from each other, staring into each other's eyes in bewilderment. Without another word, Regina heads out of the stables and storms back towards their cottage, leaving Emma scrambling to catch up to her.

As both girls get to their cottage, they see their parent's carriage still waiting outside. With frustrated sighs escaping both of their lips, they storm into the cottage to find all 4 people sitting on the sofa, helping themselves to some tea. The two girls look at each other and simultaneously roll their eyes at the scene, before turning their attention to the adults before them.

"Out." Regina says venomously. All four parents look up at her in bewilderment.

"Excuse me?" Cora says dangerously. Regina rolls her eyes at her mother.

"Get out. Go back to wherever you came from. It's been a really long day and Emma and I are exhausted. All we want to do is sleep. You all had the nerve to come over here unannounced _and_ in the middle of the night. If you cared for us or respected us at all, you would either have sent us a letter ahead of time to tell us of your arrival or you would have surprised us at a date and time, when we weren't exhausted. So I will ask again nicely, can you please leave?" Regina asks in a sickeningly sweet voice, batting her dark eyelashes at all 4 adults. All of them get up wordlessly and walk to the cottage front door.

"You're right, Regina. This wasn't a good time to come, though we all hope to come back again tomorrow, seeing as neither of you have any lessons planned. Maybe we all can talk then?" James asks the girls, hope reflected in his eyes. Both girls stare at each other and shrug.

"Maybe. But for now, please let us rest."

"Of course. Goodnight girls." Snow says to them, trying to catch her daughter's eye. Emma avoids her and just walks back into her and Regina's bedroom. Cora and Henry don't bother looking at Regina as they exit the cottage. Snow and James sigh in defeat as they walk away as well, entering their carriage. Soon after, the carriage begins to move and then, finally, disappears out of sight. Regina sighs in relief and turns around to enter the bedroom where she sees Emma already lying down, her back facing the door.

"They're finally gone."

"About damn time."

Regina gets into bed and lies down, her back facing Emma. "Goodnight, Miss White." She hears the blonde sigh from behind her and then the creaking of the bed. As Regina peeks behind her, she sees Emma move closer to her, the blonde's head now resting atop the brunette's pillow. Instead of berating the girl for getting into her personal space, Regina releases a sigh, suddenly feeling too tired for any more arguments. She's sure she'd enough arguments to last for the rest of the week.

"Goodnight, Regina." Emma whispers.

As Regina begins to doze off into a deep slumber, she feels Emma's head rest on her back. Instead of feeling annoyed at the girl's lack of personal boundaries, Regina finds herself sleepily smiling at the contact. Despite all of the events that had taken place that day/night, both girls manage to fall asleep with smiles on their faces.


	8. Chapter 8

_Next Morning_

"You're not holding on to me right. I'm the one leading here, so it's _your_ job to follow. Put your left hand on my hip and place your right hand in mine." Emma does as she's told, placing her left hand lightly on Regina's hip and tentatively placing her right hand into the brunette's. Regina smiles at the blonde in approval. "Okay, now follow along." Regina instructs. She begins to dance around the living room, going slowly in order for Emma to catch on to what she needs to be doing. Emma looks down at their moving feet one too many times for Regina's liking. As they continue to dance around the living room, Emma's eyes slide up to Regina's face before jumping back to watch their foot movements, steeping on the brunette's toes as she does so. Regina yelps out in pain and removes her arms from the blonde, putting her hands up in surrender.

"Let's take a break." Regina says to the other girl softly. Emma blushes lightly and nods her head sheepishly in agreement. She then decides to take a seat on the sofa that is now placed in the far corner of the room.

In order for the two girls to effectively have their dance rehearsal, they needed a spacious room. And what room in the cottage is more spacious than the living room? Both girls had woken up that morning absolutely exhausted, due to the events of the day before. Despite their obvious exhaustion, they realized they had no lessons planned with Archibald and Alexander for the day, which prompted them to find something productive to do with their free time. Instead of sleeping the day away or roaming around the forest aimlessly, both girls agreed to focus some of their time on their most avoided lesson: ballroom dancing. Even though, Emma, has been giving Regina the extra lessons in archery, sword fighting and hand-to-hand combat, Regina has yet to fulfill her duty at helping Emma with her dancing…until _now_, that is. After the two girls were bathed and clothed for the day, Emma turned on the puppy dog eyes and heartbreaking pout and pleaded for Regina to teach her the ways of ballroom dancing, and after 20 minutes of pleading with the brunette, the girl reluctantly agreed.

That is how the two girls found themselves pushing the living room furniture into the corners of the room, making a spacious dance floor for them to practice on.

"How is it that you are so amazing at all of the violent activities, yet you can't dance to save your life? What if a random enemy challenged us to a ballroom dance battle? How the hell would we win that with your two left?" Regina says in amusement, mirth twinkling in her brown eyes. Emma chuckles at the girl's outrageous comment and looks at her with unbridled fondness.

"That is the most outrageous, yet _hilarious_, comment, I have ever heard come out of your mouth. Who would have thought that your royal bitchiness would have a sense of humor?" Emma says with a teasing smirk, causing Regina to playfully roll her eyes.

"Believe it or not, I'm not as tedious as you may think. I have a sense of humor, a cynical and dark sense of humor perhaps, but it's still a sense of humor, nonetheless." Regina says with a noncommittal shrug. Emma giggles at her and nods her head in agreement.

"Believe it or not, I have _never_ found you to be tedious. A bit on the rigid side, sure, but never tedious. You are far more interesting than you give yourself credit for." Emma says to the girl sincerely.

"I am not _rigid_. I just simply choose to stick to my guns; I'm not easily persuaded nor do I ever feel the need to conform to another person's norm or ideals. I am my own person with my own thoughts." Regina defends causing the blonde to chuckle.

"You basically just gave me the exact definition of what being rigid is. Plus, I never said that it was a bad thing. There's nothing wrong with being strong-willed and unchangeable, all that tells me is that you are comfortable with being who you are and that you won't change for anyone, unless it's for yourself. I admire that about you." Regina stares at Emma with an unreadable expression, one that the blonde can't quite decipher. The look in the brunette's eyes sends a pleasant shiver down her spine. Just moments after the look appears, it's gone. Regina clears her throat uncomfortably and stands back up, motioning for Emma to do the same.

"Break time over, let's get back to work." The girls get back into the similar dance position, Emma's hand placed on Regina's hip, Regina's arm wrapped around Emma's waist, and both girl's hands clasped tightly together as they glide clumsily around the room. As they continue to dance, the clumsiness starts to fade away and Emma soon gets a handle on her dancing. They continue gliding across the living room floor, their bodies getting closer as the dance drags on. Neither girls seem to realize the closing distance between them until their fronts are pushed together and their lips are only a centimeter away, their breaths now mixing together.

Regina looks into Emma's darkening green eyes and then flashes her eyes to the blonde's lips, repeating the action over and over again, until the urge to close the distance becomes stronger. Emma repeats Regina's actions, noticing how the brunette's mocha brown eyes are practically black now. She stares at the brunette's plump and inviting lips, completely tempted to close the distance and claim the girl's lips as her own. Without thinking about it any further, Emma closes the distance, gently brushing her lips against Regina's. The brunette's breath hitches at the contact and forcibly snaps her eyes shut. Emma follows suit and closes her eyes as well, her lips brushing over Regina's again but with more pressure. She begins slowly moving her lips against the brunette's, a sound of surprise sounding in her throat when Regina's lips begin to respond to her movements, following the rhythmic movements that Emma's lips have set.

The kiss is slow and gentle, and unlike anything either girl has ever experienced before. They don't try to deepen the kiss nor do they try to speed it up; their lips just continue to move at the snail-like pace that they have set. Neither girl is aware of the flash of light that occurs when their lips touch, nor are they aware of the man watching them from outside of their window. All they are aware of, is each other.

* * *

Regina jolts back from the kiss a few moments later, her chest heaving frantically as her eyes widen in panic. Emma stands still, her eyes slowly fluttering open, taking in the sight of her companion's panicked state.

"Regina…" Emma starts quietly.

"What was that?! Why did you kiss me?" Regina says in a panicky voice, her brown eyes wide with panic and confusion. Emma stares at the girl in silence, not knowing what to say. Regina's panic is replaced with frustration as she eyes the silent girl before her. "Are you going to answer me or are you going to stand there gawking at me all day?" Regina asks in an authoritative voice. Emma sighs loudly and shakes her head in disbelief.

"I don't know why I kissed you, okay? I think the better question is: why did you kiss me back?" Emma asks calmly. Regina glares at the girl and releases a frustrated huff.

"I did no such thing, Emma."

"You did."

"Did not."

"Did too."

"You have no proof."

"Your lips moving against mine was proof enough." Emma says with a self-satisfied smirk, causing Regina to groan in displeasure.

"I'm going out for a walk. Don't follow me." Regina says in an irritable manner causing Emma to chuckle in amusement.

"Wouldn't dream of it, your royal bitchiness. I think I'll just take a nap or something while you're gone. Have fun." Emma says with a chuckle, walking wordlessly into their shared bedroom. Regina gapes at the girl's retreating back in huffs in irritation. She heads to the cottage's front door and slips on her sandals before exiting the house and walking around the forest with no particular direction in mind. As she begins walking down the cobble stone path and dirt road, she fails to notice the man hidden behind the nearby oak tree, watching her every move.

"I can't believe I kissed my wife…" Regina mumbles to herself, not hearing the footsteps following behind her. As her steps speed up, so do the man's behind her. She continues walking, grumbling curses at Emma under breath before she finally hears the sound of footsteps behind her. Without slowing down or making it obvious that she hears the steps, she quickly turns around, catching the man by surprise.

"Daniel? Why are you following me?" Regina asks as she catches sight of her ex-lover. He looks at her with his jaw clenched and offers a silent shrug. Regina eyes the man suspiciously, wondering why he seems so quiet. He's never this quiet. "What's wrong?" She asks him in concern. The man looks into her brown eyes and shakes his head in the negative, as if to say that nothing is wrong. But, Regina, doesn't believe him for a second. She takes a tentative step forward and places a hand on the man's taught jaw, staring into his familiar, yet _distant_, eyes. "You can talk to me." She says reassuringly.

"It's nothing. Nothing at all. I was planning on swinging by the cottage to see if you wanted to have a lunch time rendezvous or something, but it's okay if you don't." Daniel says sadly, his eyes now focused on the ground.

"I'd love to." Regina says to him quickly. Too quickly. Daniel narrows his eyes at the woman and studies her. Did he miss something? Did he not just see Regina and the White princess in a lip lock just a few a minutes prior? Was he imagining the white flash of light that occurred when the girl's lips touched? He may not be the smartest man in the land but he knows what that white flash of light, means. Everyone knows what that light means. As much as he loves Regina and as much as he wants to spend the rest of his life with her, he knows that he can't. She's not meant to be his…she's meant to be _hers_.

"That's not a good idea, Regina. Look, I love you more than anything…but you're married. It was stupid of me to come here and try to get you back." Daniel says softly, doing his best to avoid the tears forming in the brunette woman's eyes.

"But I love you. I don't want to be with Emma. I don't love her." She says to him pathetically. Daniel smiles softly at her and shakes his head in bitter amusement. Poor girl has no clue how wrong she is. In time she will see.

"I love you too…but I can't do this, Regina. It's not right. And who knows, maybe in time you will learn to love her." He says to her lightly. Regina glares at him and without another word, she turns around and stomps towards the direction she was originally headed in, her steps much quicker and heavier as she goes on her way. Daniel watches her from his spot and allows a few tears to fall from his eyes.

"This is for the best…" He mumbles to himself as convincingly as he can. _You just can't fight fate. _

"This day just keeps getting better and better…stupid Emma White." Regina grumbles to herself as she continues walking, her steps slowing down once she gets a good distance away from Daniel and her cottage. _How could she just laugh off what occurred between us like that? Here I am, freaking out and there she is, smiling and smirking and chuckling. The nerve of that girl! If she thinks that I'm going to talk to her after this, she's got another thing coming. Why couldn't my parents marry me off to someone more tolerable than her…Someone who wasn't so smug and unbearable to be around?_ Regina thinks to herself.

Back at the cottage, Emma lays in bed, staring up at the ceiling as she replays the kiss in her head, over and over and over again. "I kissed Regina Mills…" She says quietly to herself, closing her eyes and releasing a deep breath. A few seconds later her eyes pop open and she springs up in bed. "I _kissed_ Regina Mills….whoa." She says to herself, finally allowing what occurred to sink in. _Well, there goes our newfound friendship_. Emma thinks to herself before throwing herself back onto the bed, groaning to herself in embarrassment.


	9. Chapter 9

"You're back." Emma says softly, as Regina enters their shared bedroom.

It's been hours since Regina left the cottage…hours since the kiss that was shared between them. Since then, Emma has taken her alone time in the cottage to think about her life and everything going on in it. Her parents, her situation, her needs, but most importantly, her feelings for Regina. For the past few weeks, Emma's perception of Regina has been majorly altered. For the last 14 years of her life, she had seen Regina as this untouchable, unapproachable, selfish, unkind, and spiteful girl. But after living with the brunette for the last few weeks and experiencing what it is like to be her friend and her wife (even though both girls choose not to use that title), she has realized that, Regina, is none of those things. She's just a young woman who has been told what to think, say, and do, for her entire life. She's just a person who is not used to being heard. She's just a person that wants to be respected. Sure, her attitude can be unpredictable and infuriating at times, but if Emma is being honest, it can be kind of endearing and just a tad bit lovable, once you're used to her behavior, that is.

Being alone for the last few hours has helped Emma come to the conclusion, she felt she should have known all along. She has _feelings_ for Regina. At first, she thought it was just growing platonic feelings towards the girl. The two had been getting along so well lately, that Emma had thought her constant craving to be around Regina was just a side effect of their newfound friendship…but after that kiss…she knew it was more than that. That kiss had opened her eyes and pointed to what has always been right in front of her. It ignited a burning flame in her heart and in her soul…a flame she never knew needed to be lit in the first place. But it has been lit, and the owner of that match, is Regina. Only, Regina.

Emma watches the brunette as she changes out of her, now, muddied clothing. Emma tilts her head to the side as she examines Regina's disarrayed state and mud-ridden clothes.

"What happened to you? Did you fall into a mud pile or something?" Emma asks in puzzlement. Instead of receiving an answer, Regina pulls on a new blouse, throwing her muddied one on her growing pile of dirty clothes. "Regina?" Emma says, pleading for the girl to acknowledge her. Unfortunately, the brunette keeps her back to the girl as she pulls on a pair of crop pants, throwing the muddied pair in the pile with her dirty shirt and towel. "Are you seriously giving me the silent treatment right now?" Emma asks in disbelief. Her only answer is silence. Emma scoffs at the girl and shakes her head in bemusement. "Real mature, Regina."

Regina turns around and eyes the blonde for a fleeting moment, before turning on her heels and walking out of the bedroom. Emma gapes at the girl's retreating form and lays back on the bed, her eyes staring up at the ceiling. "Leave it to me to fall for the most insufferable woman alive…" Emma grumbles quietly to herself. _If Regina wants to be difficult, then so can I_. Emma thinks to herself as she gets up from her bed and walks out into the living room. As she enters the living room, she sees Regina sitting on the sofa reading a book. Emma wasn't even aware that they had any books in the house. Trying to keep her mind from getting sidetracked, Emma takes a seat next to Regina on the sofa. "What are you reading?" Emma asks her. Without a hint of acknowledgment, Regina keeps her focus on her book. Emma decides to scoot closer to the girl, which in return, causes Regina to scoot further away. "Why won't you talk to me?"

"Why won't you go away?" Regina counters, her eyes still focused on her novel. Emma does her best to stifle the smile that is trying to form on her face.

"Because we live together and you're stuck with me and the silence makes me uncomfortable." Emma says softly. Regina keeps her focus on her page, her expression completely void of emotion. The blonde lets out an exasperated sigh. "Why are you upset with me?"

"Who says I'm upset with you?"

"Your silence and inability to make eye contact with me, does. I didn't _do_ anything wrong." Regina carefully closes her book, bending the page so she doesn't lose her place. She locks eyes with Emma, frustration shining brightly in her brown orbs.

"You _kissed_ me, Emma."

"And you kissed me back! Stop playing the blame game. You are as much to blame for that kiss happening as I am. We both wanted it, Regina. I saw it in your eyes, I felt in your kiss. You _wanted_ to kiss me. You can deny it all you want, but you wanted it because you have fee-"Before Emma can get the chance to finish her sentence, Regina cuts her off.

"Shut up! Don't even finish that sentence. I didn't want that kiss. I just got caught up in the moment. Just because you want me, doesn't mean that I have to want you back." Regina says quietly, her eyes distant and cold. Emma looks at the girl in disbelief before she comes to the conclusion, that she should have expected this. Instead of arguing with the girl any further, Emma nods her head and rises up from her seat on the sofa.

"You're right. I'm sorry for making those assumptions. And just for the record, I never said that I wanted you. You're not my type." Emma lies easily, making her way back into the bedroom. If Regina wants to be in denial, then who is Emma to stop her? The blonde lies down on the bed and stares up at the ceiling. Regina will come around in time; that time might come in a day, a month, a year…however long it takes, Emma will still be here waiting. She's sure of that.

* * *

_Out in the living room, Regina places her book face down on the table. She sighs to herself and turns her body sideways, lying down on the sofa to catch her breath. Today went from being bearable to awful, in a matter of hours. Regina was truly enjoying her dance lesson with Emma. Everything seemed to be going swimmingly, even Emma's dancing had improved during the hour, and then things started to intensify and make a turn for the worst. The moment she looked into those darkened green eyes, she knew something crazy was going to happen, she just didn't know what it was. But the moment the blonde's lips pressed into hers, she knew that everything was going to go downhill from there. What was even worse than the fact that Emma kissed her, was the fact that she kissed Emma back. Regina never thought in a million years that she would ever willingly kiss back Emma White. But lo and behold…she did. And she has no idea what possessed her to do so. All she knew, was that she wanted to. Her heart ached for that kiss and she didn't understand why. Being near Emma in that moment became too much for her. It felt like the air was getting thicker, her heart was beating faster, and the walls were closing in on her. All she knew in that moment, was that she had to get out of there and away from Emma._

_Once she left the cottage and ran into Daniel, she felt both happy and apprehensive to see him. Could he have witnessed her kiss with Emma? Could he see, just by looking at her, that something occurred between her and the blonde? She couldn't be sure, but she didn't want to take any chances. All she wanted to do, was be held in his arms and prove her love for him. Let him see that she was devoted to him and only him. But to her surprise, he set her free. He told her that he loved her but that he couldn't sneak around with her when she was married to someone else. He even went as far as saying that she could learn to love Emma. After facing that shocking rejection, Regina had walked away from him and kept walking, until she was no longer anywhere near him or Emma. She kept walking until she reached a nearby farm. She took note of all of the pigs, cows, chickens, and horses loitering around._

_While seeing no one in sight, Regina had hopped the fence and petted the animals, feeling a sense of contentment at being surrounded by creatures who wouldn't talk back to her. She ran her fingers through the horses' manes, chased around the chickens, ran her hand over the cows' skin and played in the pen with the pigs. She's sure, that to any outsider, she would look like a crazy person, but in that moment, she didn't care. She just needed an escape. But of course, all great escapes must come to an end. After one of the larger pigs ran through her legs and caused her to lose her balance, Regina found herself sitting in a pile of mud…or what she hoped was mud. It was official after that moment: play time was over. _

_After that unfortunate incident, Regina decided it was time to head back to the cottage. It was time to face Emma, whether she wanted to or not._

* * *

Now that Regina is back in the cottage, she didn't know what to do with herself. She read over the same opening sentence in her book at least a dozen times. And after Emma decided to join her on the sofa, all she did was stare at the page, unable to focus on any of the words written on it. How is she supposed to go about living with Emma now? Things are now far more complicated than they have ever been and Regina just doesn't know how to deal.

* * *

_The Next Day_

Emma is tired. So very tired. The night before was awful. She knew Regina could be stubborn at times, but she had no idea that the brunette could be _that_ stubborn. Emma has never once felt like she was repulsive, but by the way Regina was acting whilst in her presence last night, she might as well have been a slaughtered pig that was delivered on the door step. Regina refused, not only to sleep in the same bed as Emma, but she refused to sleep in the same _house,_ as well. Regina, literally, picked up one of the extra blankets and her pillow and marched out towards the stables, completely intent on sleeping on a pile of hay. The fact that she would rather sleep in a stable, on a stack of hay, with neighing horses, made Emma feel grotesque and worthless. Who would have thought one innocent kiss could change everything so drastically? The friendship that the two girls have managed to build over the last couple weeks is gone, broken down by Regina. To say that Emma is hurt, would be an understatement.

A swift kick to Emma's side, pulls the blonde out of her thoughts.

"What's going on with you today, kid? Usually you're able to block my every move and get in a few punches, but today…today it's like your mind is somewhere else. Do you want to take a break?" Archibald asks Emma kindly. Emma forces a smile at the man and shakes her head in the negative.

"No, I'm fine. I just got a little sidetracked. Let's start again." Emma says to the man. He nods unsurely at her and gets into a fighting stance. She mirrors his stance and focuses all of her attention on him. He throws a punch at her that she easily deflects. He attempts to surprise her with a swift sweep kick but she quickly jumps up, avoiding his attack. When she sees that he's wide open, she strikes a punch at his abdomen, causing the larger man to stumble back a few steps. Before he regains his footing, she sweep kicks his feet from right under him, causing him to fall onto his rear. She smirks at the man in victory and he laughs genuinely at her.

"You are definitely a strong one for your age and size." Archibald compliments. Emma smiles at him bashfully.

"Well, I've had awesome trainers." She says with a shrug.

"That you do. Go take a break, Emma. We'll start again in 5." Archibald tells her with a kind smile. Emma nods at him and makes her way over to the side of the practice field. She sits down in one of the empty chairs and watches as Regina fights with Alexander. She looks over just in time to see, Regina, place a weak looking punch on Alexander's abdomen, causing the man to look at the girl with a quirked brow. Regina rolls her eyes at the man and places a kick on his leg, one that doesn't even make him stumble.

"I would have already broken several of your bones by now. Put more strength into it, Regina!" Alexander says exasperatedly. Regina cocks a brow at him and gets back into her fighting stance. The two circle each other for a minute before Alexander throws a punch at her. Regina easily dodges it. He then aims a kick to her leg, which she easily sidesteps. Just as he's about to strike again, Regina pulls her leg back and strikes, her boot making _very_ _hard_ contact with Alexander's crotch. Emma watches in horror as the man crumples into himself and falls to the ground.

"That was an effective way to get a man down, if I do say so myself." Regina says to Alexander's pained form. Without being able to stop it, a laugh bubbles out of Emma's throat at the scene. She can't believe that Regina did that.

"Go…take…a…break." Alexander says through wheezes. Regina smirks at him and walks over to the empty seat near Emma. She holds the back of the empty chair and drags it through the grass, making sure that enough distance is put between her and Emma. Emma lets out a loud sigh and stares at Regina unabashedly. The brunette can feel the blonde's eyes burning into the side of her face but she refuses to make eye contact with the girl. It's too dangerous.

"Can we please stop this now?" Emma pleads with Regina. Regina lets out an exasperated sigh and shakes her head, refusing to meet Emma's gaze. "Why are you being like this? It was just a kiss. I mean, we're married for god sakes! We've seen each other naked plenty of times, we live together, and we even share the same bed and wardrobe, things were never this awkward before, so why is everything suddenly so awkward and tense now?" Emma questions. Regina continues to avoid the blonde's gaze but decides to answer her, nonetheless.

"Because this is different."

"How is this different from anything else I've listed?"

"Because it just is, Emma! Just drop it." Regina says in a frustrated tone.

"Was it really necessary for you to sleep in the stables last night? I don't bite, Regina. I don't have some contagious disease. You could have stayed in the house, you know. I would have taken the couch and you could have had the bed." Emma says quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. Regina tries not to feel guilty, but it's hard not to when Emma looks at her like that. So sad…and disappointed. Regina knows that she is overreacting, but she can't help it. Overreacting is part of her nature, but so is stubbornness. But after her awful experience last night, sleeping on the uncomfortable hay, Regina realizes that she doesn't want to deal with that again.

"I'll take the couch tonight. You can have the bed." Regina says simply. Emma studies the girl for a moment and lets out a dejected "okay".

"Back to practice, ladies!" Archibald says to the girls from across the field.

* * *

Regina removes the back cushions from the couch and places them on the floor, more than ready to just curl up and fall asleep. She places her pillow on one end of the couch and lays down on it, spreading her blanket over herself. The nights are starting to get colder and the wind is starting to blow harder. Winter should be coming soon and Regina absolutely dreads it. She hates the cold temperatures, but she hates the snow even more. The feel of the frozen rain on her skin and hair, irritates her beyond belief. She's never been sure why that is, but she has a feeling it has to do with a childhood memory that is most likely hidden somewhere in the back of her mind. A distant memory that is locked in a part of her brain that she has no access to. She sighs to herself as she turns on her side, snuggling her head further into her pillow. She knows that now is not the time for her to be thinking about her unexplained hatred for winter, now is the time for her to fall into a deep slumber. A slumber in which she can escape, one, Emma White. Because, lately, Emma has been the only thing on her mind and it scares her. It scares her greatly. Without any further thoughts to provoke her, now, dozing form, Regina falls into a deep, yet welcome, slumber.

A few feet away from Regina's, now, slumbering form, in the bedroom, is Emma. Emma can't stop tossing and turning. As comfortable as her bed is, she can't seem to find a comfortable position to lay in. She wonders if Regina is fairing any better on the lumpy couch in the living room. And then it suddenly clicks for her; Regina is what's missing. The presence of Regina in the bed is what helps Emma sleep at night. The blonde chuckles at herself in amusement as she realizes how clueless she's been. She should have known that her feelings for Regina weren't platonic all along. Do all friends need to snuggle up to one another in order to fall asleep? As far as she knows, the answer is: no. Emma continues her struggle at finding a comfortable positon to sleep in until she just stops trying altogether. Without giving it a second thought, Emma grabs her blanket and her pillow and marches out into the living room. As she approaches the sofa, she sees a peacefully slumbering, Regina. Emma stares at the girl's sleeping face for a moment with a small smile and shakes herself out of her creepy staring.

She takes note of the absence of worry lines and downturned lips on the brunette's face. The hard mask that has been on the other girl's face throughout the day, has vanished. What Emma sees is a teenage girl, who was truly at peace, with no care in the world. Emma wishes that Regina's face could like that when she was conscious. The girl has a habit of worrying too much and making things more complicated than they should be. Even though those traits can be annoying, Emma wouldn't change a thing about her. _I'm so pathetic_. Emma thinks to herself.

Emma decides to line up the discarded sofa cushions on the floor, using them as a makeshift bed. She lies down near the couch, snuggling up as close to Regina as possible.

"I hope that one day you can admit that you feel for me, what I'm beginning to feel for you." Emma whispers quietly to Regina's sleeping form, sleep overcoming the blonde just moments later. If she wasn't sure of it before, then she was sure of it now. Emma needs Regina to fall asleep…and if she's being honest, she may need Regina for a lot more than just that.


	10. Chapter 10

Regina awakes the next morning, her body riddled with unwanted cramps. As she sits up on the sofa, raising her arms above her head with a loud yawn and a much-needed stretch, movement on the floor catches her attention. As her eyes adjust to the light pouring through the living room windows, Regina stares at the lump on the floor curiously. She moves her face closer to the mysterious lump and notices the rising and falling of a person's chest. She, then, allows her eyes to drift upwards and takes note of the long blonde hair splayed across a pillow.

_Emma_.

She takes in the sight of the blonde's sleeping face and can't help but stare. When Emma is awake, she usually has this determined or cocky expression on her face, one that Regina has grown fond of over the last few weeks (which she'd never admit out loud to anyone, not even herself). But when she's asleep, her face is completely smoothed out and an innocent, almost angelic, expression takes over her face. Regina tries not to stare, but it's difficult not to. Without a doubt, Regina can admit that Emma is one of the most beautiful women she has ever laid eyes on. As she continues to stare at the blonde in, terribly veiled, adoration, a look of puzzlement makes its way onto her face. Why is Emma out in the living room, asleep on the floor? Why would she leave her comfortable bed to sleep on the hard, wooden, floor, right next to the sofa? Surely, Emma couldn't be out here to be nearer to her, could she? After the way, Regina had treated the other girl yesterday, she wouldn't have been surprised if the blonde had stopped acknowledging her existence, and she wouldn't blame her either. She was a total bitch and she was aware of it. She deserves to be ignored.

So the question pops up in her mind once again: Why is Emma out there? Regina takes her foot and nudges the blonde's side gently. That one physical gesture causes the blonde to start stirring in her sleep. Regina watches as the blonde's eyes flutter open, hazy green eyes locking onto her own. Emma's eyes widen once she remembers where she is, realizing that she's just been caught. She, quickly, tries to get up from her makeshift bed on the floor. Before she gets the chance to get up and walk back to their bedroom, wordlessly, Regina speaks up.

"What are you doing out here, Emma? Did you sleep out here?" Regina questions quietly. Emma releases a tired sigh and without offering a verbal answer, she smiles sheepishly at the brunette. The look of confusion etched on Regina's face is one of the cutest things Emma has ever seen, but of course, she won't say that out loud. She doesn't want to freak Regina out any more than she already has. "Why would you do that? To be closer to me?" Regina asks in a soft, nonjudgmental, tone. Emma eyes the girl curiously, no longer sensing the resentment or bad attitude that the other girl displayed during the last two days.

"I have trouble sleeping alone. Back at the castle, I used to sleep with stuffed animals and sometimes, my puppy, Dex." Emma tells her softly, a shy smile on her face.

"I help you fall asleep?" Regina asks in surprise. Emma shrugs nonchalantly.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I don't know whether I should feel flattered or insulted that my presence puts you to sleep…"

"Flattered, definitely." Emma says with a smile. Regina eyes the blonde for a moment and hesitantly smiles back.

"Then I guess I'm flattered. Look, Emma…about yesterday _and_ the day before…I'm sorry. I shouldn't have treated you the way that I did. You didn't deserve it. I just overreacted, I guess." Regina tells the blonde sincerely.

"Apology accepted."

"What? Just like that? You can't accept my apology so quickly! I treated you terribly! I made you feel worthless and unwanted, you shouldn't be so quick to forgive me. If I were you, I'd let me suffer for a bit." Regina says. Emma chuckles at the brunette and shakes her head in amusement.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm not like that." Regina looks at her in puzzlement.

"Why not?"

"Because that's not how I was raised. But enough about this. Go take your bath while I prepare breakfast."

"But I deserve it!"

"Maybe you do, but that doesn't mean I have to do it. Believe it or not, I look forward to the random conversations you and I have every day. Going without our playful banter for the last two days hasn't been easy for me. You're my only friend, Regina. The only person, other than Alexander and Archibald, that I have contact with. I would love it if you and I could move past our little tiff and move forward. Do you think you can do that?" Emma asks the girl with a pleading look on her face. Regina huffs and crosses her arms over her chest, a defeated expression on her face.

"Okay…"

"Good. Now move woman!" Emma says to Regina playfully, shooing her into the direction of their room. Regina takes the hint and walks into the bedroom, only to walk back out a few seconds later with clothes and a towel in hand. Emma gets up from her spot on the floor as Regina exits the cottage, making her way into the kitchen to make breakfast. As Emma replays the exchange she and Regina just had, in her head, a small smile graces her face. "Maybe things will be alright." She says to herself as she begins preparing breakfast for her and Regina.

* * *

"When you came back to the cottage the other day, you seemed upset. And I have a feeling that it wasn't just our predicament that got you so upset. Care to talk about it?" Emma asks Regina as they sit atop their horses, riding at a slow pace. Regina keeps her eyes forward, without sparing Emma a glance. She debates on whether or not she should tell Emma of her encounter with Daniel and the things that he said to her. His rejection of her, hurt her greatly, but for some odd reason, being on speaking terms with Emma again, has dulled that pain. But still, it hurts to get rejected when you're not used to it. Regina slowly turns to face Emma and offers her a hesitant smile.

"It may have had to do with Daniel. Whatever he and I had, is over." Regina tells the girl simply, choosing not to go into any further detail. Emma eyes the brunette for a moment, a look of sympathy and relief spread across her features.

"I'm sorry, Regina." Emma says to the girl in a half-hearted apology. Regina eyes the girl suspiciously, her brow quirked.

"You're not really sorry are you?" Regina asks in an unreadable tone. Before Emma gets the chance to answer, their conversation is interrupted by Archibald and Alexander.

"Alright, girls! We're here." Archibald announces once they reach the practice field for their sword lessons. Both girls, wordlessly, dismount from their horses, their swords and shields in hand. The guards lead them to the practice field, and stand in the middle of it, waiting for the girls to catch up. Once they do, Archibald and Alexander stare at them with mischievous smiles. "Today, instead of you practicing your sword fighting skills with one of us, you will be practicing with each other." The larger of the two men says.

Regina and Emma look at the two men in astonishment and then stare at each other in bewilderment.

"You can't be serious." Emma chokes out, not quite believing her ears. She doesn't want to lay a hand on Regina, even if it is just practice. During their private lessons, Emma never laid a hand on Regina. She just simply demonstrates what the brunette should do and watches as the brunette imitates her movements. As Emma's green eyes lock onto the brunette's brown eyes, she sees worry swirling in the girl's gaze.

"I'm afraid so, kid." Alexander says, the mischievous smile never leaving his face.

"What if I hurt her?" Emma asks, she'd never be able to forgive herself if she hurt Regina or was the cause for the other girl's pain. Regina scoffs at that statement, causing Emma to look at her in confusion.

"I can take care of myself, Miss White. You won't hurt me and if you do, I'll know it wasn't intentional." Regina says with a nonchalant shrug. Emma looks at the girl incredulously, not quite sure what to say to that.

"But—"

"No buts, Emma. You and Regina are going to practice with each other. It'll be good for you both, I'm sure." Archibald answers, cutting off Emma's impending excuses as to why she can't fight Regina. He knows why the blonde is so hesitant to fight the brunette, it's because she loves her. He hasn't seen such true love in the making since Snow White and Charming. He and Alexander figured it would be amusing to see the blonde being put up against her love, in a fight. He figures that this will make for interesting entertainment.

"Alright you two, get ready!" Alexander says to the two hesitant girls.

* * *

"I really don't think we should be doing this…" Emma says to Regina as they square off, circling each other in their fighting stance.

"But unfortunately, we have to. Don't go easy on me, Emma." Regina tells the blonde as she strikes, her sword slamming against the blonde's shield. Emma stares at the brunette in shock.

"Regina!"

"What? We're supposed to be practicing. _You've_ been the one giving me extra training, Emma. Believe that you've taught me well enough to last in this sword fight with you. Okay?" Regina says to the girl in reassurance. Emma worries her bottom lip between her teeth and nods her head hesitantly, fixing her body so that she is now in the proper fighting stance. Regina smiles at the girl playfully and swings her sword towards Emma's torso, which the blonde easily blocks with her shield. In retaliation, the blonde thrusts her sword towards Regina uncovered legs, only to meet the brunette's sword, completely deflecting her attack. Regina smirks at the girl and moves out of the way, just in time to sidestep Emma's sword coming down towards her right shoulder. Emma looks at the girl with an impressed smile on her face before going in for another attack. Regina ducks and rolls, kicking Emma's legs from right under her. The blonde loses her balance, falling flat on her back on the grass. Regina places the tip of her sword on the blonde's abdomen, a triumphant smirk on her face.

"I believe that I've won this round." Regina says teasingly, a bright smile on her face. Emma stares up at the girl with a mixture of pride and embarrassment. Pride, because she's partly responsible for Regina's, now, amazing sword fighting skills, and embarrassment, because Regina beat her fair and square. Regina holds out a hand to Emma and Emma takes the offered hand, ignoring the electric shock that always seems to accompany the hand touching between the girls. As she stands on her feet, she bows down to Regina playfully.

"You have won fair and square, your highness. You've been taught well."

"Well, I had a good teacher." Regina says to Emma sweetly, a red tint making its way onto the blonde's cheeks at the compliment. "Shall we go fetch ourselves a refreshing glass of water?" Regina says with a playful smile, one that Emma easily reciprocates.

"We shall."

"And people say that sword fights can't bring two people together." Archibald says to Alexander as they watch the two girls make their way across the field towards the refreshment table.

"We did well today." Alexander says in agreement as a soft smile makes its way onto his face at the sight of the two smiling girls.

* * *

"Regina? What are you doing in here?" Emma asks the brunette curiously as the girl in question saunters into the bedroom, her pillow and blanket being carried in her arms. Regina, wordlessly, moves to her side of the bed, placing her pillow at the head, her body following suit as she lies down on her side, facing Emma's confused, yet hopeful, gaze.

"I'm sleeping in here tonight." Regina answers simply. Emma looks at the girl in surprise, not quite able to fight off the slow smile spreading across her face.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"But…what about the whole…kiss thing. I mean, we haven't actually talked about it and I don't want you to feel obligated to share the bed with me when you're not entirely comfortable. I could sleep on the couch if you'd like." Emma offers.

"No. Stay in here with me. You told me this morning that my presence helped you fall sleep and I'd rather not have either of us be subjected to sleeping on that wooden floor or uncomfortable couch again." The brunette says nonchalantly.

"But what about the kiss? Are we ever going to talk about it?" Emma asks nervously. Regina stares into those green eyes, seeing the fear and hopefulness in that gaze. She wants more than anything for that fear to disappear, mostly because she knows that she's the one that put it there in the first place. Regina places a comforting hand on the blonde's shoulder, staring at her earnestly.

"We will. Maybe not tonight, maybe not even tomorrow, but _we will_. I promise." The brunette says sincerely. Emma nods at that, accepting the answer.

"Okay."

"Okay, now go to sleep." Regina says to the blonde softly, turning her back to the girl only to feel the blonde's head rest against her back a few moments later.

As the blonde's breaths even out, Regina lets her mind wander to Daniel. She thinks about what he said to her two days ago, about learning to love Emma, and she's beginning to think that it's possible. It's scary to think of loving someone other than him, but when she looks back at her last two encounters with the man, she realizes that her love for him has become simply platonic. It would explain why she didn't feel that usual spark in their kiss or why her heart didn't race from his touch. Maybe she was just holding onto him because he's the safer option. He hasn't been her mortal enemy for the last 14 years of her life and he wasn't the one that her parents _forced_ her to marry. She may not know what it is that she's feeling for Emma right now, but she knows that she's going to take the time to allow herself to figure it out.

If not for her sake, then for Emma's.


	11. Chapter 11

_5 Days Later_

"You're seriously getting the hang of this, Emma." Regina says to Emma pleasantly, as they glide across their living room floor. Even though, Regina was reluctant at first to start their dance lessons again, she knew that they'd have to put in the practice sooner or later. And in their case, the sooner Emma got this dance down, the better. Archibald and Alexander gave word to the girls that they will be attending a ball held in the Mills Kingdom. They were given the news 4 days ago; the ball is 2 days from now. Given what happened last time they had their dance lesson, Emma was scared to ask for Regina's help, scared that the brunette would freak out on her and undo all of the progress they had made. But surprisingly, Regina was only slightly hesitant, but eventually agreed. Now here the two girls are, dancing around the living room, their bodies pushed closely together, perhaps _too_ closely for a dance such as this. If either girl is uncomfortable with the close proximity, they certainly aren't showing it.

"You're dancing like a champ. I think you'll be ready to lead the dance just in time for the ball. You're quite the natural, Miss White." Regina praises Emma with a genuine smile. Emma blushes at the compliment and smiles at the brunette bashfully. Regina giggles at the girl's shy behavior and tightens her hold on the blonde's waist, pulling the other girl's front, flush against her own. They continue gliding across the living room smoothly, no toe stubbing or faltering on either girl's part, just a swift and smooth dance. Regina extends her arm out, twirling Emma in the process, pulling her arm back a few seconds later to pull the girl's body back into hers. Emma lands back into Regina's grasp with a soft thump and quickly replaces her left hand on the other girl's shoulder, her right hand placed upright into Regina's palm. They smile bashfully at each other as they continue to dance.

As the moments pass by, the air gets thicker and their breaths grow heavier. They stare deeply into each other's eyes as they continue to dance, their eyes darkening with lust as their heavy breathing turns into rapid panting. Neither girl realizes that their bodies have stopped moving on their own accord, or that they have stopped dancing altogether. Emma reaches out a hand towards Regina's face, gently brushing a loose strand of brown hair behind the girl's ear. Regina's breath hitches at the contact, unable to do much else, but stare. Emma's hand moves down to the girl's cheek, caressing it softly as she stares into unsure brown eyes. Regina's eyes dart from the deep green eyes to the inviting pink lips, wanting desperately to close the gap…but can't. Just as Emma begins to lean in, Regina snaps into action, placing her hand on the blonde's sternum, gently pushing her away. Emma snaps out of her daze, her eyes widening in alarm as she realizes what almost just occurred…_again_.

"I'm so sorry, Regina! I didn't mean for that to-"Emma doesn't get to finish her apology. Regina raises her hand up in a silencing manner and Emma snaps her mouth shut, eyeing the brunette warily.

"It's okay. You aren't the only one at fault here…I'm pretty sure I wanted it too…" Regina admits quietly, taking a deep breath to slow her racing heart. Emma looks at the girl in shock, the brunette's confession being the last thing she was expecting to hear.

"You wanted to kiss me?" Emma asks slowly. Regina looks into hopeful green eyes and slowly nods her head, not trusting her voice. Emma's eyes widen at that, her jaw dropping open. "Wow…" Emma whispers out. Despite the heaviness of the situation, Regina finds herself cracking a smile at the blonde's stunned expression. Emma always manages to look so damn adorable. It's as infuriating as it is lovable.

"Look, Emma…I don't know what this is between us… I don't know how I feel…or how I'm supposed to feel. All I know is that I feel safe with you and yes, I admit, I wanted to kiss you very much just now… but I'm not sure I'm ready to explore whatever it is we have just yet. I hope you understand…" Regina says self-consciously, hoping that the blonde would understand. The last thing she wants is for the other girl to be upset with her. Emma looks at the girl with an understanding expression, a soft smile forming on her lips to assuage the brunette's worries.

"I understand, Regina. Take your time. I just want you to know, that when you're ready to explore whatever this is between us, I'll still be here." Emma says sincerely. Regina's heart begins palpitating at that confession. _Just when I manage to get my heart under control, _Regina thinks to herself. She lets out a shaky breath and gulps audibly. The brunette offers Emma a small smile, trying to break the obvious tension in the room.

"Well, it's not like you have a choice in the matter. I mean, we are married and we do live together…" Regina jokes lightly. Emma cracks a smile at that and quirks an eyebrow at the girl.

"Well, even if I had a choice, I'd still wait for you." Emma says truthfully, causing Regina's heart to stop beating completely. The two girls stare at each other silently, neither girl making an attempt to move closer, and neither girl making an attempt to speak. They just stare. Their gazes never wavering from one another.

A knock on the door shatters the moment and Regina is the first to spring into action. She moves to the door and swings it open to reveal Archibald and Alexander standing on the front porch. The two men offer kind smiles to the girls and bow in greeting. Regina and Emma quickly follow suit and curtsy at the men.

"Good morning, your highnesses. Are you two ready for your lessons?" Alexander asks. Both girls nod and grab their bow and quivers from atop the couch, following after the two men as soon as they grab their belongings. As Regina mounts her horse, she releases a shaky breath. _What are you doing to me, Emma White? _Regina thinks to herself as she glances at the blonde to her left. With that last fleeting thought, the horse's spring into action and they are on their way to the training field.

* * *

"Alright, Regina. Impress me." Alexander says to Regina, smirking challengingly at the girl. Regina rolls her eyes at the man and reaches her hand back to remove an arrow from her quiver. She places the arrow into the bow and pulls back until the fletching is lined up with her chin. She focuses on her target and releases the arrow, watching as it tears through the air, and lands right onto the bulls-eye. Regina's eyes widen in shock, her jaw dropping in astonishment. "You did it!" Alexander says in amazement, clasping a hand over the girl's shoulder in congratulations. Regina blinks rapidly and stares at the arrow piercing the bulls-eye. A smile forms on her mouth and soon after, an incredulous laugh escapes her throat. She looks towards Emma's side of the field and sees the blonde eyeing her with a wide smile on her lips. Emma winks at the brunette before turning back to her own target board, bow and arrow already raised. Regina watches as the girl lines up the fletching with her chin and releases the arrow, watching as it tears through the air and pierces the bulls-eye, as well. Its official, Emma is an amazing teacher.

Regina keeps her eyes on Emma, mindlessly grabbing an arrow from her quiver, settling it into the bow. She watches as Emma drops her bow and quiver, pulling her blouse over her head, revealing a white tank top underneath, the blonde's toned arms flexing as she chucks away her blouse. Regina's mouth goes dry at the sight. She continues eyeing the blonde as she reaches down to pick up her quiver, placing the strap across her chest, reaching for the discarded bow next. Emma reaches her arm behind her, her back muscles flexing as she does so, pulling out an arrow to place into her bow. Regina watches closely as the girl pulls back on the arrow, her biceps flexing as she releases the arrow from the string. Regina never noticed how toned the other girl's body was…at least, not until now. Damn that girl is fit. Regina's heart races as Emma lifts up the hem of her tank top, using the hem to wipe the sweat off of her brow, her glistening abs on full display. Mindlessly, Regina pulls her arrow back, releasing it from the string, never taking her eyes off of Emma as she does so. It isn't until she hears a pained scream, that she snaps her attention away from Emma.

As she turns towards her side of the field, Regina's eyes widen in bewilderment, as she takes in the sight of her arrow protruding out of Alexander's thigh.

"_Shit_! Regina! What the actual hell?!" Alexander yells, his eyes closed tightly as he grips the arrow with his hand. Archibald rushes past Regina and comes to Alexander's aid. Regina closes her eyes and groans in embarrassment, wanting nothing more than to disappear in that moment.

"Whoa. You were doing so well before. What the hell happened?" Emma asks, suddenly appearing at Regina's side, startling the brunette. Regina turns to the girl with a sheepish expression and shrugs.

"I got distracted."

"By what?" Emma asks with an arched eyebrow. Regina swallows nervously and shrugs in embarrassment.

"I don't know." She mumbles. Emma studies the girl for a few moments, until a loud howl of pain snatches her attention. The girls watch in horror as Archibald yanks the arrow out of Alexander's thigh, blood gushing out of the wound as the arrow is released. Regina suddenly feels lightheaded, the sight of blood causing her face to turn pale and her focus to become hazy. Emma notices the brunette's swaying body, her brown eyes rolling back into her head as she falls into Emma's arms, completely unconscious.

"This was a great lesson…" Emma mutters to herself as she holds Regina's slumping form in her arms.

* * *

_Later that night…_

"I still can't believe you shot, Alexander…" Emma says in awe, an amused smirk gracing her lips at Regina's look of embarrassment. Lessons were cut short after that unfortunate accident and luckily, Alexander was going to be fine. Apparently, the guards keep vials of healing potions in their cottage in case of emergencies. Regina's mother made them. A few drops of that potion on Alexander's wound and he was as good as new. The wound had completely closed up, the only evidence of his injury being the blood stains on his trousers.

After Regina's fainting spell, Emma had carried the woman, bridal style, placing her atop of the refreshment table at the sideline of the field. She placed the girl there until she regained consciousness. Once Regina had woken up, she apologized to Alexander profusely, only receiving grunts of acknowledgement from the, once, injured man, and a knowing smirk from Archibald. Emma had been completely confused at Archibald's expression, not quite understanding why the man looked so amused at the situation.

"Can we not talk about this? Like…ever." Regina says with a groan. Emma chuckles at her and shakes her head in the negative.

"Come on, Regina! What the hell happened out there? You were so focused before! You even managed to hit the bulls-eye. What got you so distracted?" Emma asks, pushing for answers. Regina turns on her side, facing away from the blonde. The creak of the bed springs and rustling of the bed sheets tells Regina that the blonde has moved closer to her. She is proved correct when Emma's breath tickles the back of her neck. "Regina…." She drawls teasingly. Regina gulps at the feel of the girl's breath on her skin. "Tell meeee. What distracted you? I promise I won't laugh." Emma says sincerely, though, Regina hears a hint of amusement in the girl's tone.

"Yes, you will."

"Okay, fine. Maybe I will. Just…please tell me. I'm dying of curiosity." Emma pleads. Regina whines and rolls over so that she is now lying on her back.

"No."

Emma smirks at the girl and sits up, bringing a leg over the girl's hip, now, straddling the brunette's waist. Regina's breath hitches at the sight of the blonde hovering over her. "Tell me."

"Get off of me, Emma." Regina says shakily. Emma's smirk deepens as she places both of her palms on either side of Regina's head. Regina inhales and exhales equally shaky breaths.

"Tell me." Emma whispers into her ear, sending a shiver throughout the brunette's body. Regina gulps audibly and closes her eyes, trying to slow down her racing heartbeat. She wonders if this is what having a heart attack feels like. "Regina. Tell me…you know you want to." Emma says huskily into the girl's ear.

"If I tell you, do you promise to get off of me?"

"Yes."

"Blame your abs." Regina tells the girl, grabbing the blonde by the hips, flipping them over so that she is now hovering over Emma. Emma's eyes widen in surprise at the sudden movement, partly impressed, partly turned on. After getting over the initial shock of the sudden movement, what Regina said clicks into her mind.

"Wait…what?!"

"Goodnight, Emma." Regina says, rolling off of the blonde and lying back into her spot, her back turned towards the girl once again.

_Emma White will be the death of me, _Regina thinks to herself before drifting off into a fitful sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

"Do you remember the last time we were in one of these? We spent majority of the ride exchanging glares, sarcastic retorts, and insults. Oh, how far we've come…" Emma says to Regina in an awe-filled tone, a sweet, reminiscent smile on her lips. Regina blushes at the girl's sweet expression and glances out the window of the moving carriage. It's been two hours since the Mills carriage driver picked the girls up from their cottage; only 4 hours remaining until they reach their destination: The Mills Kingdom. "What do you think your mom picked out for you to wear? And do you think she's going to force you to converse with her?" Emma asks after a silent moment. Regina looks at the blonde and shrugs.

"I don't know. Hopefully whatever she picked for me isn't hideous. If I'm going to be subjected to spending a few hours with stuck-up royals and kiss-ass non-royals, then I'd like to be dressed in decent attire. Also, my mother can't _force_ me to do anything. Not anymore. By marrying me off to you, she basically stated that I am now an adult who can make my own decisions. So if I choose to ignore her, then she must accept that."

"You know that's not how it works, right? My parents are most likely going to shoot me puppy-dog eyes and pouts until I acknowledge them. And I think that I just might give them what they want. At least for today." Emma says to Regina, a small smile playing on her lips. Regina eyes the girl curiously, an eyebrow quirked in confusion.

"Why would you acknowledge the two people who forced you into marriage and shipped you off to live in the middle of nowhere?"

"Because, as upset as I am about this whole situation…I'm also kind of grateful for it. If they hadn't married me off to you, then I wouldn't have realized how great of a person you are and how amazing it is to be in your company….._even when_ you're being difficult. Also, I would never have been able to witness you shooting people with arrows because my abs are distracting to you." Regina flushes at that last statement, her cheeks blazing red at the cocky smirk the blonde is sending her way.

"Shut up." She mumbles in embarrassment, clearing her throat uncomfortably and turning her attention back to the window. Emma chuckles at the girl and leans back in her seat, resting her head on the back wall of the carriage.

"I'm just saying. Maybe I should ask my parents to find a dress that displays my abdomen. Just for you." Regina looks back at the girl with wide eyes, her face flushing at the flirty wink being sent her way.

"I hate you."

"You don't."

"I do. I really _really_ do."

"If you say so, Regina."

"I do. Wait, what the hell do you think you're doing?! Put it back on!" Regina shrieks at Emma, her eyes widened in panic. Regina watches as Emma lifts her blouse over her head, throwing the discarded item onto the carriage floor, leaving the blonde in nothing but her bra and trousers. Regina's breath becomes labored at the sight of the other woman's abs, shutting her eyes tightly to avoid looking at the blonde's toned stomach.

"You're looking a little pale there, Regina. Are you alright?" Emma asks in mock concern, a wicked smirk spreading across her lips.

"I hate you even more than I did two minutes ago." Regina says shakily, her eyes still shut and her head now resting against the carriage window. Emma giggles at the other girl's discomfort and smiles to herself.

"Sure you do. You can look, you know. I don't mind."

"I'm not here to feed your ego, Miss White."

"It's a little too late for that, don't you think? I mean, you did _shoot_ Alexander in the thigh because you were focusing on my abs and flexing muscles, and not on your target board. How can you not expect my ego to have grown from that information?" Regina releases an exasperated sigh and opens her eyes, focusing all of her attention on Emma's face, careful not to let her eyes wander lower.

"I am done talking to you."

"But we still have a few hours to go…you can't give me the silent treatment now! I'll die!" Emma says dramatically, a pout put firmly in place. Regina smirks at the girl and shrugs nonchalantly.

"You should've thought about that before you started teasing me." Regina says with her smirk still in place. Emma's jaw drops in disbelief as she watches Regina lean her head against the carriage window, her eyes tightly closed.

"Regina! It's too silent now…" Emma whines, her bottom lip jutted out even further, though Regina pays it no mind, seeing as how her eyes are still closed. "You're so mean." Emma mutters quietly. Regina lets out a breathy laugh and cracks an eye open to see Emma's arms crossed over her chest and a childish pout on her lips.

"Talk to you in a few hours, Miss White." Regina says to the girl, laughing as she hears a dissatisfied groan escape the blonde's mouth.

* * *

_4 and a half hours later_

"We're here, your majesties. Your mother will be sending down four guards to accompany you both to your bed chambers." The Mills Carriage driver says to Regina, bowing his head to her and Emma, before jumping back onto the carriage and making his departure. Regina and Emma turn around, facing the castle doors, both feeling a bit apprehensive.

"Home sweet home." Regina mumbles to herself, staring up at the large castle that served as her home for the first 18 years of her life. Beside her, Emma watches her expression with a sympathetic smile, wordlessly reaching out her hand to hold the brunette's. The moment their hands make contact, Regina's breath hitches. She discreetly looks down at her hand clasped in Emma's palm, a small smile tugging at the corners of her lips. Without saying a word, Regina entwines her fingers with the blonde's, catching Emma by surprise. Before Emma gets the chance to comment on their held hands, four burly men approach the pair. Once the men are directly in front of the girls, they bow in acknowledgment, the two girls curtsying in response.

"You look well, your majesty. Welcome home." One of the men say to Regina with a kind smile. Regina smiles back at the man. His name is Timothy, and he has been Regina's guard and confidant throughout her entire childhood…until recently, that is.

"It's good to see you, Timothy. I hope all has been well." Regina replies formally. He smiles sweetly at her, his blue eyes sparkling with fondness.

"It has been for the most part, but between you and I, you not being here has made the castle feel rather empty. Your mother and father aren't exactly the liveliest company." He says with a deep laugh, causing a smile to bloom on her face. Timothy then turns to Emma, his expression and body language emanating nothing but kindness. "I am Timothy Hartwell, your majesty. I am the leading guard for the Mills Kingdom and you must be Emma White. It is a pleasure to officially meet you. You're even more beautiful than Regina described." He says to Emma with a bow, a smirk is tugging at his lips as he side eyes Regina.

Regina glares daggers at the man and ignores Emma's look of surprise.

"You told him you thought I was beautiful?" Emma asks in a sing-song voice, causing all of the guards to quietly chuckle. Regina fixes the chuckling guards with a glare, causing all of the men to snap their mouths shut.

"I said no such thing. Timothy is clearly mistaken."

"I am not mistaken in the least, your majesty. I recall several instances where you have unknowingly called, Miss White, the most infuriating, yet _beautiful_, person you have ever met. You used to refer to her eyes as green gems and her cheekbones, as sculpted perfection. But then again, you may be right. Maybe I am mistaken. You did carry a major _dislike_ for her, after all." Regina's face flushes in embarrassment. She vaguely recalls saying something along those lines…but she was about 14 when she said them. She obviously had no clue what she was saying…._clearly_.

"Don't we have a ball to get ready for? Come on, gentlemen, lead the way." Regina says in an authoritative tone, avoiding both Emma and Timothy's amused gaze, as the other men snap into action, leading the girls through the castle doors and up the long, winding staircase. Once they reach the top of the staircase, Emma and Regina are rushed into separate bedchambers for the ball preparation. As she enters her former bedchamber, Regina notices her mother, along with a few maids, seated atop the quilts of her old bed.

"Hello, darling. So nice of you to join us." Cora says as Regina walks into the room. Regina rolls her eyes in response and offers her mom a sarcastic smile.

"So good to see you, mother."

"It's always nice to see me." Her mother retorts with a smirk. Regina rolls her eyes at the woman again.

"I came in here to get ready for the ball, not to socialize with you."

"Then by all means, go hop in the bath and when you're done, Mildred, Katherine, and Alena, will be waiting out here to help beautify your appearance. The bags under your eyes, your wrinkled clothing and your ruffled hair, calls for much attention. You're actually looking quite rough these days, dear. I wonder why." Cora says with a mocking smile. Regina snarls at her mother and crosses her arms over her chest.

"It is always such a pleasure to talk to you, mother." Regina says through clenched teeth. Cora flashes her a sarcastic smile and then turns her attention towards the maids, giving them specific duties for Regina's ball preparation. Once she's done speaking, she walks past Regina and exits through the door, wordlessly. Regina shakes her head in bemusement and offers the maids a small smile before heading towards the bathroom.

Let the ball preparation begin.

* * *

_3 Hours Later—the ball_

"Your majesty, may I escort you into the ballroom?" Regina hears a familiar voice say from behind her. An involuntary smile makes its way onto her face as she turns around and comes face-to-face with Daniel.

"Daniel." She breathes out, happily. "What are you doing here?"

"Well, your mother and father invited me and I couldn't exactly pass up an opportunity to see you again. We didn't exactly end on a good note and I came here to apologize and ask for your forgiveness." He says with a sheepish smile. Regina smiles at the man and walks towards him, wrapping her arms around his waist. A moment later, his arms wrap around her shoulders in a tight hug. "So, does this mean that I am forgiven?" He asks hopefully. Regina chuckles and nods her head against his chest, before pulling out of their embrace.

"You are definitely forgiven." She tells him truthfully.

"Can we be friends?" He asks quietly. She smiles widely at that and nods her head enthusiastically.

"Yes, Daniel. We can definitely be friends."

"Awesome! So, your highness, would you like me to escort you into the ballroom? I know you don't entirely forgive your father as of yet, so I asked him if it was okay for me to escort you instead. I hope that's okay with you. " He says, offering his arm. Regina slips her arm through his and smiles at him gratefully.

"It is more than okay with me. Thank you. Just out of curiosity, have you seen Emma by any chance?" Daniel nods his head with a small smile.

"I did. She was standing with her mother and father at the other ballroom entrance. She looks beautiful, just like you." Daniel says sincerely. Regina's mom picked out a long, purple and white gown. The sleeves were flat and reached her elbows, the neckline was low enough to show the top of her cleavage, the bottom half of the dress was slightly puffed out and the hem of the dress was just an inch above dragging on the floor. Her dress was paired with a pair of purple heels and her bejeweled crown. Her hair fell down her back in luscious waves, while the crown sat atop her head, the light of the hallway reflecting on the jewels, making them twinkle brightly.

"Let's go in. I'm sure your precious wife is already there, waiting for you." Daniel says teasingly causing Regina to roll her eyes playfully at the man. They begin walking towards the entrance and after taking a moment to compose themselves, they push open the ballroom doors, causing everyone already waiting patiently in there, to look towards them. Just on the other side of the ballroom, the second entrance opens, revealing Emma and Charming, arm-in-arm, also entering the ballroom. Everyone in the large room splits their attention between watching both princesses enter. Once both girls and the men on their arms, descend the stairs, their escorts bow at them and the girls curtsy in response before making their way across the room, to each other.

"Wow." Emma says upon approaching Regina, taking in the sight of the girl's appearance.

"Wow, yourself." Regina says back with a small smile, taking in the sight of Emma's gown and hair. Emma's hair is done in a neat French braid, her crown sitting atop her head nicely. Regina's eyes then drift downwards, looking over the other girl's gown. Emma's gown is a deep red, the sleeves reaching just below her biceps, while the neckline of the dress is about the same as Regina's, only showing the top of the girl's cleavage. The bottom half of the gown isn't as inflated as Regina's, but it still has a little puff to it. Just below the dress, Regina can make out cream-colored heels. "You clean up nicely, Miss White." Regina says teasingly. Emma smirks at her and shrugs nonchalantly.

"As do you, your royal bitchiness. Shall we get this show on the road?" Emma asks with a quirked brow, nudging her head towards the large throng of people staring hungrily at them. Regina releases an exasperated sigh and shrugs.

"After you." Regina says with a sweeping gesture of her arms. Emma smirks at her and offers her arm to the girl. Regina smiles at her and links her arm through the blonde's.

_Let this dreadful night begin,_ both girls think to themselves.

* * *

"You are an excellent dancer, your majesty." A non-royal, by the name of, William Smee, says to Regina, while they, clumsily, glide across the ballroom floor. The man can't dance to save his life. He has stepped on Regina's feet 15 times in the last 2 minutes of their dance. And yes, Regina has been taking count.

"I wish I could say the same for you." Regina mutters under her breath.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh, nothing, I'm just a bit parched. Do you think you can fetch me something to drink?" Regina asks in mock kindness, a forced smile on her lips. The short man nods at her eagerly, a large smile on his face.

"Of course, your majesty. I'll be just a minute." He says to her with a retreating bow, making his way towards the refreshment table. Once he's out of sight, Regina makes her way to the far wall of the room, releasing a long sigh once she sags against it. This has been such a long night, and it only started half an hour ago. Regina watches as her father and mother stand together on the balcony, overlooking the ballroom, and in deep conversation. Since arriving at the castle, her mother had only spoken to her when she first arrived, other than that, she didn't even attempt to make another conversation. Regina's father on the other hand, didn't so much as acknowledge her. A part of her feels relieved, but another part of her is slightly hurt. Regardless of the fact that she'd mad at him, she would have expected him to make an effort to speak with her. She is still his daughter, after all. It just goes to show that her parent never really cared for her.

"Here you go, your majesty." William Smee says as he returns with a glass of water. Regina takes the glass from him and mutters a small "thanks." As she takes a sip of her water, she notices the man still standing next to her, staring at her expectantly. With an exasperated sigh, she forces out a smile.

"That will be all, William. It was a pleasure to meet you." She says to the man as politely dismissive as possible. The man nervously smiles at her and bows.

"It was a pleasure to meet you too, your majesty." With that, he walks away and disappears into the large crowd of people.

Once he's gone, Regina looks around the gliding bodies, searching for a certain blonde-haired princess. Finally, after 2 minutes of looking, she finds who she's looking for. Emma. As the blonde swims into her vision, Regina takes in the strained smile on the blonde's face as she dances with a tall, brunette gentlemen. He's handsome and well-built, but from the looks of it, he's extremely cocky and obviously one of the stuck-up royals. As Regina gets a glance of his face, she recognizes him as the eldest son of the Aarons Kingdom. He's next in line to become king, and all he needs to do in order to get the crown, is to find a suitable wife. Considering that Emma and Regina are already married, she knows there's no way he's trying to get Emma's hand in marriage…or is he?

* * *

"I think that I would be a more suitable companion for you than your wife. Let's be honest here, I'm obviously far more attractive than her, I have an amazing sense of humor, I will be able to protect you from any possible harm, and let's face it…I'm everything you need. I _am_ the full package." Chris Aarons says to Emma as they continue to dance. Emma scoffs at the man and shakes her head in bemusement. She's never met anyone so full of themselves before, and that's saying a lot, considering that she and Regina are the cockiest people she's ever met. Until now, that is. "So what do you say, Emma? Dump your wife and become my betrothed?" He asks with an arrogant smile. Emma smiles in faux sweetness and pretends to think about it.

"I'm sorry, but why in the hell would I ditch my amazing wife to be with scum like you?" Emma says innocently. The man looks at her with wide eyes, his jaw dropped in surprise.

"Bu—"Emma cuts off, what she knows will be another marriage proposition, by stomping her heel into his foot. He yelps out in pain and she smirks at him, a sweet smile on her lips.

"I'm sorry, my bad." She says while innocently batting her eyelashes, though her tone of voice is anything but innocent.

"May I cut in?" Emma hears a deep voice say from behind her. As she turns around, she sees her father with an outstretched hand offered to her. Emma looks back at the Aarons prince for a moment, laughing to herself as the man bends down to nurse his aching foot. She then turns back around and takes her father's outstretched hand. Charming leads her away to the middle of the ballroom floor, placing one hand on her hip and the other in her palm. "What happened back there?" He asks curiously, wondering what caused his daughter to smash the man's foot with her heel.

"He was being a jerk."

"A jerk about what?" Charming presses on.

"He proposed that I dump Regina and become engaged to him."

"What an ass." Charming mutters. Emma laughs at her father's insult and shakes her head amusedly. "So, I'm assuming that you disagreed with his proposal?"

"Obviously."

"So, does this mean that you and Regina are actually getting along? And that you forgive your mother and me?" Charming asks hopefully. Since Emma's arrival at the Mill's kingdom earlier, Emma has been civil with both he and Snow, not showing any of the animosity that she showed them on their surprise visit to the cottage. She hasn't outright stated, that she forgave them, but one can only hope. She's his only daughter, he doesn't want her to continue to hate him…at least, not while she still doesn't know the full story of why he and Snow married her off to Regina in the first place.

"Regina and I are getting along, yes. As for your forgiveness…I don't know. I still don't understand why you would put the kingdom before your own daughter. Your _only_ daughter." Emma says truthfully, hurt evident in her voice. Charming frowns at that. After about 2 minutes of silence, he comes to a decision.

"Emma, I have something to tell you."

"What is it?"

"It has to do with your marriage to Regina."

"What about it, Dad?"

"Your mother and I weren't totally honest with you about the reason we married you off to Regina…" Charming states thickly. He can't believe he's about to do this.

"Wait…then what was the real reason?" Emma asks curiously, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she sees the conflicted expression on her dad's face.

"I think we should talk outside." Charming says without waiting for an answer. Before Emma gets the chance to stop him, he's already walking towards the doors leading to the outdoor balcony.

She has a feeling that whatever her father says to her tonight, might change her outlook on things forever.


	13. Chapter 13

"What's up, dad?" Emma asks her father as she steps out onto the outdoor balcony. She watches as her father stands, his back to her, leaning over the railing of the balcony, his shoulder slumped in apprehension. She doesn't have to see his face to tell that his eyes are probably closed, and though she doesn't see his chest, she can easily tell that he's taking simultaneous deep breaths to calm his, obviously, racing heart. The sight of her father looking like this, a nervous wreck, puts Emma on edge. She doesn't think she wants to hear what he has to tell her. "Look, dad, I don't what it is you possibly have to tell me, but if it's something that will wreck whatever progress Regina and I have made over the last month, then I would rather not know." Emma tells him shakily. That seems to shake him out of his nervous daze.

Charming pushes off of the railing and turns around to eye his daughter with a small, nervous, smile. He runs his hand through his short, but growing, hair and gestures to the empty chairs on the far side of the balcony. Emma takes the hint and finds a seat in one of the chairs, Charming taking the seat closest to her. Once the two are seated, they sit in silence, both unsure of where to start. After a few more moments of this tense silence, Charming, takes a deep breath and begins speaking, his eyes downcast.

"Before I begin. I would just like to tell you that your mother and I love you more than anything in this world. We've always wanted what was best for you. We may not always show our love and care for you in the most conventional of ways and often end up making you upset, but just know, making you upset was never our intention. As for Regina's parents, despite what you two may believe, they love their daughter. They may not always know how to show it, and maybe they don't love their daughter as much as Snow and I love you, but they still love her, nonetheless. Just like Snow and I, Henry and Cora just don't show their love and care in the most conventional of ways…"

"Dad, can you just get to the point? You're really starting to scare me." Emma says shakily. Her heart started palpitating the moment he began to speak. What could he possibly have to tell her? Charming takes another deep breath and looks into the eyes of his daughter. He stares at the green orbs, so full of confusion and wonder, they remind him of a much simpler time when Emma was younger and wanted to go explore the forest with Archibald but didn't understand why he and Snow were so cautious about letting her explore without them or when she wanted to try on her mother's ball gowns but couldn't understand why they didn't fit her. As he stares into her eyes, all he sees is his baby girl. His baby girl who may or may not hate him even more after he tells her this news. He takes another deep breath, this one shaky compared to the rest, and nods.

"Do you remember the ball we attended here at the Mills Kingdom, 4 years ago?" He starts off. Emma looks at him in confusion, not understand where he's going with this, but nods, nonetheless, wanting him to continue. And he does. "What do you remember about that night?" He asks her slowly. Knowing very well that she wouldn't remember the key event that happened that day, but you could never be too sure.

"I remember coming here with you and mom, dancing with a bunch of royals and non-royals, arguing with Regina about something petty, and then more dancing…and that's it. Am I missing something?" Emma asks, her brows furrowed in puzzlement, that puzzlement growing even more when her father nods.

"There was a bit of a commotion that occurred that night… _The Dark One_ was in attendance, though not invited. He had an issue with Cora and came to the ball, seeking revenge upon her. 'Til this day, I still have no clue what it is that she did to anger him, but what I do know, is that she and him used to be both romantically and magically, involved, so maybe his problem with her was of the jealous ex variety." Charming says with his lips curled in disgust, Emma wearing a similar look of disgust on her face. She can't imagine anyone getting involved with that imp.

"Where are you getting at, exactly?" She asks.

"Well, Cora and _The Dark One, _spent about an hour of the ball, standing on the indoor balcony where she and Henry are currently standing, arguing. No one, besides Henry, was close enough to hear their argument. Everyone just stayed their distance, too scared to approach the arguing pair and too scared to leave the ball altogether. You and Regina were completely unaware of what was occurring because you two were too busy doing what you did best with each other, and that is arguing. You were both standing by the refreshment table, both red in the face, arguing about god knows what. While you two were distracted, I'm assuming one of _The Dark One_'s minions, or maybe even the imp, himself, placed a poisoned piece of apple tart onto Regina's plate. By the time he and Cora finished arguing and he magically departed from the room, a shriek could be heard from the refreshment table. Several shrieks, actually. But the first shriek was undeniably yours and panic automatically set in. There was a huge commotion and by the time Snow, Cora, Henry, and I were able to get through to you girls, Regina was already on the floor, passed out.

That imp had poisoned Regina with the sleeping curse. After that, Cora and Henry sent everyone, but you, Snow, and me, home. Despite the feud between our kingdoms, Snow and I couldn't let Henry and Cora face what was happening to Regina, alone. We couldn't imagine what state we'd be in, had it been you that was poisoned, so we offered to stay and help in any way we could. And they let us. We took Regina up to her bed chamber and laid her down in bed. Cora attempted to kiss her daughter on the cheek, but nothing came of it. Henry did the same, but once again, nothing came of it. It—"Emma cuts him off, her eyes going wide once she realizes where he's going, or possibly going, with this.

"Are you about to say, what I think you're about to say?" Emma asks with an audible gulp. Charming places his hand over her clasped hands resting on her lap. He offers her a small smile and decides to continue on.

"When Cora and Henry's kisses didn't wake her, we had all given up hope. Cora went searching through her spell books and tried whatever spell she thought could work…but nothing ever did. Regina was in a comatose state for about 5 days, and each day you stayed with her. For someone you supposedly hated, you sure cared a great deal for her; you never left her side. Snow and I would sometimes catch you talking to her…or well, playfully insulting her, as if your insults would magically wake her up. They didn't, of course, but that didn't stop you from trying. It wasn't until one bitterly cold, winter day, that everything changed. Henry, Cora, Snow, and I, walked into Regina's room, just as you leaned forward in your bedside chair, your face growing nearer to Regina's. We all watched as you placed your lips onto hers and with baited breaths, we waited. A few seconds after your lips made contact, there was a shift in the air, a flashing light and suddenly, all of the color returned to Regina's pale form."

"True loves kiss…" Emma mutters quietly, her eyes wide as she soaks in this newfound information. Charming nods his confirmation.

"To say that it was unexpected would be an understatement… But you two were only 14 when it happened, you were both still so young… We gave you two a few days to spend together and it was both beautiful and terrifying to witness. Beautiful, because the love you two had was so innocent and pure, but terrifying because we, Henry, Cora, Snow, and I, thought you both were too young to be so attached to another person. A person who you both had claimed to hate for so long. So we made a deal. After you both turned 18, our plan was to arrange a marriage between you two. And that's where we are now."

"Wait, if all of this happened…then why don't I have any memory of it? I think I would remember discovering my true love…"

"Cora cast a memory erasing spell on you two… Basically, every event that had happened that week, was gone from your memories. We thought it would be best for you two to discover your true love at a later time, preferably when you were old enough to really know what it meant to be soul mates." Charming explained, studying his daughter's unreadable expression.

"Now that explains the flashing white light I saw when Regina and I kissed…and that probably explains why our hands zapped each other the first few times we held hands." Emma wonders out loud, completely missing Charming's shocked expression.

"You two kissed?! And held hands? When? What led to that?" Charming spews out, his eyes bugging out of his head as he stares at his daughter in disbelief. It's a truly comical sight, and Emma can't help but chuckle at her father's expression.

"I don't kiss and tell, dad. Sorry." She says unapologetically. He looks unimpressed.

"You just told me that you two kissed. You basically just broke your own rule."

"Whatever. So….is there any other bombshells you plan to drop on me? Or is that it? And I know that you don't know why _The Dark One_ was arguing with Cora, but do you at least know why he went after Regina?"

"To get back at Cora for whatever it is she did. His way of revenge is attacking those closest to you, so he went after Regina."

"Do you think he'd come after her again?" Emma asks quietly, suddenly feeling extremely apprehensive. Charming offers her a sympathetic smile and shakes his head in the negative.

"I don't know sweetheart, but I don't think so. Let's just not think about that right now. We should go back in and enjoy the rest of the ball. You should go and spend the rest of your night with your soul mate." He says with a bright smile. Emma blushes at that, an involuntary smile spreading across her face. If she didn't think she had a chance with Regina before, then all of that doubt is gone now. They're meant to be. There is no going around that fact. It is their destiny. A thought suddenly pops up into Emma's mind.

"Should I keep this news to myself or tell Regina?"

"If I were you, I'd let her figure it out for herself, but if you feel the need to tell her, then that's your choice." Emma thinks it over for a few seconds and comes to the conclusion that she'll let Regina figure it out for herself. It will be more special that way, she reasons. "Let's go back in, she's probably looking for you. Your mom is probably wondering where I ran off to, as well." Emma nods at him and they both stand up. Before they can make it to the doors leading into the ballroom, Charming stops, halting Emma with him. "Are you angry with me still?" He asks quietly. Emma shrugs in response.

"Well, you completely lied to me about the reason you married me to Regina, and you had Cora erase both mine and Regina's memories. I should be full of rage, but for some reason, I'm not. I've been developing these strong feelings for Regina for quite some time now and you know what? I'm actually relieved to know that she and I actually belong together. Regina, on the other hand, may try coming after her parents, and you and mom. She would be so full of anger and resentment towards you both…I wouldn't be surprised if she tried killing you all in your sleep. So, to answer your question, no, I'm not mad at you, though I still don't trust you or fully forgive you yet. But as for the anger, I think Regina carries enough for the both of us. Speaking of, Regina, I'm going to find her now. Thanks for telling me the truth, dad." Emma says to her father softly before walking through the doors leading back into the ballroom.

As she enters the crowded room, she peers through the large mass of people, looking for a certain brunette. And after a few moments, she finally spots the girl…dancing with Chris Aarons. Well, this should be good.

* * *

"You should dump Emma and become my betrothed. I'm sure that I'd make a more suitable partner for you, than she ever would. I'd protect you, cook for you, and fornicate with you, all you want." Chris says with a suggestive eyebrow wiggle. Regina's face scrunches up in disgust. What a vile and arrogant man. No wonder Emma had smashed her heel into his foot. That bastard deserved it. If her mother hadn't practically shoved her into this man's arms, begging her to dance with him, then Regina would have already stormed off. Regina sighs to herself, getting lost in her thoughts as Chris continues talking himself up. She wants to be with Emma right now, not this poor excuse for a human being. It's been almost 20 minutes since Regina had seen Emma and her father walk through the doors leading to the outdoor balcony. Maybe she should excuse herself and go out there to check up on her blonde companion. She hopes whatever it is that she and Charming talk about, isn't too taxing on the blonde's emotional state.

Before Regina can come up with a legitimate excuse to get away from this tool, a familiar voice sounds behind her.

"Weren't you just chatting me up not too long ago? You should seriously go for women who aren't already taken…especially women who are taken by each other." Emma says with her hands on her hips. Regina whirls around and smiles brightly at the blonde, Emma looks at her and returns the smile. Chris scoffs from behind her and stays in place.

"She seems to be interested. I mean, just look at me, why wouldn't she be? Looks like you aren't as exciting as you thought, Princess Emma." Chris says with a cocky smile. Regina takes a deep breath and turns back to the man, a saccharine smile on her face.

"I'm done conversing with you." With that being said, Regina knees him right in the baby maker. As the man doubles over, cupping his crotch in his hands, Regina leans down with him. "If I ever hear you badmouthing Emma, myself or any other woman in attendance tonight, I will make sure to rip your balls off. And do you know what that would mean for you? It means no fornicating whenever you want, because fornication would be an extremely unpleasant experience for you. Now be gone from my sight you sleaze." Regina says dangerously, causing an involuntary shot of arousal to go through Emma's body. _Damn, my wife is hot_, Emma thinks to herself.

Chris Aarons immediately departs without looking back, muttering under his breath about crazy women. Regina and Emma watch the man go in amusement before turning towards each other, immediately assuming their dance positions. Emma places one hand on Regina's hip, her other hand held upright waiting for Regina's palm to slide in. Regina places one hand on Emma's shoulder before sliding her palm into Emma's hand. The two immediately find a rhythm and begin gliding across the dance floor.

"Earlier tonight, that Aarons guy began badmouthing you…so I stabbed my heel through his foot." Emma says with a smirk causing Regina to giggle.

"I know, I saw. Well, I didn't know he was badmouthing me, but I did see you in action…I also saw you fly into the arms of your father and then disappear onto the balcony for over 20 minutes. Are you okay? Did you guys get the opportunity to talk?" Regina asks in concern. The corners of Emma's mouth curl up and she nods sheepishly.

"I'm okay, more than okay actually. And we did."

"What did you guys talk about?"

_You. _"Just some stuff. It's not that important right now, what's important is that you and I enjoy the rest of the evening together."

"I think we can do that." Regina says with a soft smile. Emma feels the butterflies flapping wildly in her stomach and this time, she doesn't try to ignore the feeling. She embraces it. She's supposed to get this feeling around Regina, because she's _meant to be_ with Regina. That piece of information is more than she could have hoped for, though the circumstances in which they found out about their true love connection, was less than ideal. Suddenly, a sinking feeling fills her gut at the thought of _The Dark One_…or anyone at all, coming after either she or Regina. Sure, knowing how to wield a sword, use your body, and always find your target, is important….but what if it's not enough? What if a magical being comes after them? Then all of their physical training would be useless… Emma would do everything and anything to protect Regina and considering the fact that they are soul mates, just adds onto that fact.

Regina notices the conflicted expression on Emma's face and frowns. "Hey, Emma, what's wrong?" Regina asks Emma, a look of concern etched on her face. Emma lets out a shaky breath and forces out a smile.

"Nothing, Regina, just dance with me."

"You know you're an awful liar."

"Actually, I'm a really good liar, but you know me well enough to catch me in my lies."

"Well, since you just admitted to lying, care to tell me what's got you looking so conflicted?" Emma thinks it over for a moment and realizes that she can't tell Regina of what her father told her, at least not yet. She wants Regina to figure out their connection for herself…but she feels as if she should warn her of _The Dark One_, even though there's a good chance he may never strike again… I mean, he hasn't attacked her in four years so it looks like he's found himself a new target. Still, Emma wants to be able to protect Regina, and she wants Regina to be able to protect herself… She knows what she has to do…but it can wait until the morning.

"How about we just dance and we can discuss what's bothering me tomorrow, deal?" Emma asks with a hopeful smile. Regina nods in agreement. "Great." Regina rests her head onto Emma's shoulder as they continue to dance, their gliding now turned into dancing in place at a snail-like speed. But neither of the girls care too much. It just feels good to be with one another for the moment, without anyone coming by to pop their little bubble.

And that's how the rest of the ball is spent, with both girls dancing closely and having quiet conversations with each other. Neither girl worried about anything going on around them except for each other. And that's all that mattered to them. At least, that's all that mattered to them in that moment.

The next day will be an entirely different story.


	14. Chapter 14

"Please tell me you're joking. You have to be joking. There is no way that you are actually suggesting we do this."

"I'm sorry, but I actually _am_ serious. I think this is a good idea!"

"A good idea for whom?"

"For us! For our safety!"

"But magic lessons? And from my mother, of all people? Emma, come on, what the hell is this really about?" Regina asks the blonde suspiciously, not quite understanding where Emma's sudden fascination with magic has come from. Not once has Emma ever shown any interest in practicing magic, nor has she ever really brought up the topic of magic… _until_ this morning.

The morning had started off just like every other morning, the only difference is that instead of waking up in their bedroom in the cottage, they woke up in Regina's old bedroom at the Mill's castle. Regina had woken up, wrapped in Emma's arms, just like she has every morning for the past week. The two had taken turns bathing and quickly got dressed for the day, more than ready to head back to their little cottage in the woods. The Mills servants had prepared breakfast for the two princesses and even went as far as giving them enough food to last them the next 3 days or so. Both girls thought it was extremely nice of them and thanked the servants profusely.

Just like every morning, Emma and Regina did their lessons, sword fighting, being their lesson for the morning. Instead of doing their lessons with Alexander and Archibald, they did it with Timothy and Gregory, who is one of the younger Mills guards. The lessons had gone smoothly, both guards complimenting the two on their superior fighting skills, obviously shocked at their level of skill. After the morning lessons, all was well…_until_ now.

"Look, Regina…I just…I just want us to be safe. That's all." Emma says to the brunette sincerely. Regina's eyes narrow at the blonde, not quite accepting her explanation.

"There's more to it than you wanting us to be safe. There's a reason that you want to practice magic and I have a feeling that it has everything to do with the talk you had with your father last night. I'm not stupid, Emma. I know that there's a real reason that you want to do this, so please, tell me. I can handle it." Regina tells Emma strongly, her brown eyes looking deeply into the blonde's eyes. Emma gulps audibly and wracks her brain for what she should tell Regina. She can't tell her about the sleeping curse, because then she would have to tell Regina that she was the one to wake her from the curse. And if Regina finds out about that, then it would only take a few seconds for her to realize that Emma is her true love, and if she finds that out, then all of the progress they have made may be undone. Emma can't risk that… She can't risk losing Regina. Even though she knows that keeping the truth from the brunette may cause her to lose her as well, she'd rather let Regina figure out their true love connection for herself. Without anyone telling her. _Ugh, this is all so complicated,_ Emma thinks to herself.

"Fine. There is a _real_ reason that I'm suggesting this, but I can't tell you what it is. Not yet, at least, I mean, I want to, but I just can't." Emma says in defeat. Regina steels her gaze at the blonde standing before her and scowls.

"Then I just can't go along with this plan. I'm sorry." Regina says dismissively, walking away from Emma and into the direction of their parked carriage. Emma sighs to herself and leans against the wall of the castle. Regina and Emma are set to leave the Mills castle in 10 minutes and now Emma wishes that she would have waited until they got back to their cottage to bring up the topic of magic. Now the entire carriage ride is going to be tense and silent, and she doesn't think she'll be able to handle it. She's seriously dreading the 6 hour carriage ride now.

"Hey." A voice says. Emma turns her head in the direction of the voice and sees Timothy coming towards her.

"Hey." Emma says back, smiling slightly at the big, burly man.

"I couldn't help but overhear your conversation with Regina. She may seem mad now, but just give her some time to cool off. Maybe try to explain exactly why you're suggesting whatever it is you're suggesting." He says to her with a kind smile.

"You know that eavesdropping is extremely rude, right?"

"I do. But I also know that keeping secrets from your wife isn't exactly encouraged either. I know why you're suggesting the magic lessons. I'm guessing either Snow or Charming decided to tell you the truth?" Timothy asked, seeking confirmation. Emma lets out a long sigh and nods her head. "I was there the night that it happened. I saw her collapse and I saw you catch her before she hit the ground. You yelled for help and you looked so distraught and scared. You had tears streaming down your face as you lowered her onto the ground gently and you tucked all of the hair that fell into her face, behind her ear. You started taking care of her the moment it happened, and you never stopped. I thought it was a bit ironic, how one moment, you two were yelling at each other and insulting one another and in the next moment, you were looking at her as if she was the most important person in the world.

I knew in that moment, before the kiss, that you two were destined to be together. After the true love's kiss debacle, I watched you two grow closer. You became inseparable. I also saw how much your closeness and love for one another frightened your parents. As your parents probably explained to you, they felt you were way too young to become _that_ attached to someone. They wanted you to enjoy your youth, independently. And I can't say that I disagree with them, but I also can't say that I agree with them, either. But either way, I'm glad you two have been reunited, even if Regina has no clue what you really mean to her." Timothy finishes, causing Emma to look at him strangely.

"Okay?" Emma says unsurely, not quite sure what the point of Timothy's lecture was. The man chuckles at her confusion.

"I'm sorry, I tend to ramble sometimes. Look, what I'm trying to say, is that I know where your sudden interest in magic is coming from. And I think taking magic lessons from Cora is a splendid idea. I understand why you're hesitant to tell Regina the truth, I really do, but if you want her to willingly learn magic, then you have to tell her the truth. Or at least part of it. You can't leave her completely in the dark and expect for her to go along with your plans. It doesn't work like that with her, or any of the Mills women, to be honest. Just…tell her something. I practically raised Regina myself, so trust me when I say that I want her safety as much as you do. If that imp ever came after her again, I'd want her to be prepared. I'd want _you_ to be prepared." Timothy says sincerely. Emma thinks it over and nods at the man.

"Thanks. You're right, I'd have to tell her something." Emma reasons. A voice in the distance calls for her and she looks up to see the carriage driver waving her over. She turns her attention back to Timothy and smiles at the guard genuinely.

"I have to go. It was nice meeting you, Timothy. I appreciate your concern and your advice. It's nice to know that someone, other than myself and Daniel, care for Regina's well-being." Emma says to the man sincerely. He smiles at her and bows, receiving a curtsy in response.

"It is no problem, your highness. Run along now, dear. You don't want to keep Regina waiting." He says with a wink causing Emma to nod and chuckle. She walks towards the carriage and gets in. Regina is already sitting in the carriage, her head leant against the window and her eyes closed. Emma lets out a sad sigh and closes the carriage door, her eyes lingering on Regina's face. When the carriage begins to move, Emma settles back into her seat, her back now resting against the back wall of the carriage, while her eyes are settled on the brunette beside her.

_This is going to be a long ride_, Emma thinks to herself.

* * *

_6 and a half hours later_

"It's so nice to be back home, isn't it?" Emma says to Regina as they enter the cottage. The 6 hour carriage ride from the Mills kingdom to the cottage was, unfortunately, spent in silence. Torturous, tense, silence. Emma had tried repeatedly to start a conversation with Regina, but the girl wouldn't budge. She refused to even entertain the idea of conversing with Emma. It was pure torture for the blonde. Now they are back in their safe haven and all Emma wants, is to hear Regina's voice. She doesn't care if all the brunette has to say, is an insult geared towards her, just as long she _says_ _something_. When Regina doesn't respond to Emma, she lets out another sad sigh. "Why won't you talk to me?" Emma asks the girl, hoping for an answer. When Regina turns to Emma with a pointed look, the blonde raises her hands in surrender. "Right..." She mutters to herself.

The two women head into their bedroom to change into their nightgowns. As Emma pulls off her shirt and trousers, she catches Regina's eyes lingering on her abs. Emma smirks to herself and quietly chuckles to herself. _Even when she's mad at me, she continues to check me out_, Emma thinks to herself in amusement. Once both girls are changed into their nightgowns, they crawl into bed on their respective sides, Emma's face to Regina's back. They lay in silence…until Emma decides to break the silence, that is. There is no way that she's going to let Regina go to bed upset with her. She knows what she has to do…so she does it.

"According to my father, your mother used to be involved with the _Dark One._ Last night at the ball, when I disappeared with my dad, he told me that there was a tragic event that occurred four years ago. An attack, by the _Dark One_, towards you. The reason that you don't remember it, is because your mother performed a memory erasing spell on you, so that you wouldn't remember the trauma. I can't tell you exactly what the attack consisted of, but I _can_ tell you that the attack was completely magical." Emma says into the dark room, hoping that Regina is listening. And judging by the rustling of the bed sheets and the fact the she has now come face-to-face with brunette, it's safe to say that she _is_ listening.

"The reason I suggested we take magic lessons from Cora, is because I want us to be prepared for anything. I doubt the _Dark One_ would ever come after you again, but it's better to be safe than sorry. And besides, there are more magical beings in this land to worry about, many who probably hate us just for being royals. I don't want anything to happen to you, Regina. I would never be able to live with myself if anything did. So, _please_….at least consider my earlier proposition." Emma says pleadingly.

Regina looks into Emma's bright green eyes, and sees nothing but sincerity. She leans her face forward and presses a kiss to Emma's cheek. "I can handle myself, Miss White. But okay, I will do it. Thank you for telling me the truth." Regina says softly. Emma smiles a wobbly smile at the brunette and nods. _Thank you for telling me half of the truth, you mean_, Emma thinks to herself guiltily. She reasons that keeping the rest from Regina is for the best…or at least that's what she's doing her best to convince herself of.

"So…we're going to learn magic?" Emma asks after a silent moment.

"We're going to learn magic."


	15. Chapter 15

_1 Week Later_

"When did my mother say she was coming?" Regina asks Emma in apprehension, her eyes wide with dread. Today was going to be the first day of their magic lessons with Cora. Last week, after discussing why magic lessons were important with Emma, Regina had come to the conclusion that she must cooperate with both her mother, and Emma with these lessons, despite the fact that she'd rather not go through with them at all. It's not that she doesn't agree that learning magic would be beneficial to both she and Emma if they were ever in need of it during a battle, it's just that she'd rather not learn it from her mother. Everyone knows that Cora is a very skilled witch, it's practically the first thing you learn about the older Mills woman, after the fact that she's a queen, of course. But everyone also knows that Cora practices dark magic, and dark magic only.

Regina has no qualms about _learning_ dark magic, if she's being honest. But what worries her about _using_ it, however, is that the darkness would start consuming her heart, her soul, and her entire being. And if she's being completely honest, the thought of the darkness tainting Emma, is a hundred times more terrifying. Her mother is evil, yes, but she's not _pure_ evil. Though her mother has never been affectionate or especially close with her, Regina knows that the woman loves her. It may not be the kind of conventional love that normal parents have for their children, but it's still love, nonetheless.

"Soon. She should be here just after sunrise. Are you nervous?" Emma asks Regina with soft eyes. Regina bites her bottom lip and shrugs nonchalantly. Emma smiles at the girl and takes the brunette's hand into her own, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. Regina looks down at their clasped hands, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. It always seems as if Emma can read Regina's mind, nowadays. The blonde always seems to know how she's feeling, without the brunette ever having to verbalize it. Before, when Emma could tell that Regina was upset, distressed, or angry, she would send the brunette a reassuring smile, or get rid of the tension by cracking a joke, or picking a playful fight. But since the night of the ball, Emma has switched tactics. When the blonde sees Regina in a state of distress, she simply takes the girl's hand into her own and offers a gentle squeeze and if not that, she would place her arm over the girl's shoulder and pull her close, placing a kiss on top of the brunette's head. Each time she does one of these acts, Regina instantly relaxes. But that's not the only physical contact the girls engage in with one another, they also tend to chastely kiss each other from time to time, but never on the lips. It's like they're scared that allowing their lips to touch one another's would bring upon the end of the world, which is a ridiculous thought on both girl's parts, seeing as how they've already kissed twice. Teenage girl logic is seriously flawed.

"Oh…sunrise should be happening any minute now…" Regina mumbles out. Emma watches as Regina hops up from her spot on the living room couch, and begins pacing the floor. The blonde watches her brunette companion in amusement, the look of nervousness on the girl's face being nothing short of endearing. As Regina's pacing continues, a series of unrecognizable mumbled words could be heard escaping the girl's lips. Emma watches on in amusement, having never seen the other girl this nervous before, especially not when it comes to her mother. After a few minutes, having seen enough, Emma catches Regina's wrist in a gentle grasp, pulling the brunette down onto her lap.

"Calm down, okay? It'll all be fine." Emma says softly, placing a kiss on the side of Regina's jaw. Regina's body sags against Emma's, wrapping her arms over the blonde's shoulders. The two sit there in silence for what seems like hours, but in reality, is only a few minutes. Before either girl realizes what's happening, the sun has come up and a knock is placed on the front door. Regina quickly gets up from Emma's lap and peeks through the curtains covering the living room window.

"She's here…" Regina whispers out harshly, her brown eyes widened in panic. Emma chuckles at the brunette's expression and gets up from her seat on the couch, walking towards the front door and opening it before Regina can protest. Once the door swings open, Emma comes face to face with the older Mills woman, her eyes drifting down and taking notice of the two bulky satchels being carried on the woman's back and the stack of books being carried in the woman's hands.

"Hi, Mrs. Mills, please come in." Emma says politely, sidestepping the doorway, allowing Cora to enter the cottage. Once the older woman is inside, she removes the satchels off of her shoulder and places it, along with the books, on the kitchen table. As Cora turns around to face Emma, she notices, for the first time, a timid looking Regina. It's been years, since she's seen Regina look anything other than confident or defiant. She figures that the girl's uncharacteristic timidity is due to the pending magic lessons about to come. Inwardly smirking to herself, Cora smiles at her daughter, doing her best not to laugh out loud at the grimace making its way across her daughter's face.

"Hello, darling. How have you been?" Cora asks pleasantly, amused to see the usual scowl being placed upon her daughter's face at her acknowledgement.

"Like you care." Regina says with a slight bite, though it's lacking the usual venom. Cora outwardly smirks this time, causing Regina's eyes to narrow at her. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Regina asks with a huff, causing Cora to chuckle and shake her head in amusement.

"No reason, my dear." Cora says with her smirk still in place. She, then, decides to turn her attention to the blonde girl standing idly by the front door, watching the interaction between mother and daughter with fascination. "Emma, dear. Where is the best place for us to start our lessons? What we're doing today may make a bit of a mess."

"We can practice here on the living room table. If worse comes to worse, we could always use some spare towels to clean up whatever type of mess we make." Emma says with a shrug. Cora smirks at the girl, ignoring the glare her daughter is sending her way.

"Excellent! Let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

"I told you to float the teacup, not explode it!" Cora says harshly to Emma, as the blonde looks down sheepishly. They've been at it for the last three hours, and Cora can honestly say that she's never been more disappointed in her daughter, and daughter-in-law's, inability to perform magic. Both girls obviously don't realize that magic already flows through their veins. Emma, being the product of true love, is literally made of white magic, while Regina has dark magic coursing through her veins, though Cora has a feeling that the girl could probably use light magic as well. After all, her daughter is far kinder and good-natured than she is, or ever has been.

Cora had the girls studying a generic magic book for the first hour of their lessons, hoping that both girls would pick up some tips on how to perform simple magic tasks such as, levitating small objects, transporting small objects, and other generic tasks. The older Mills woman is starting to see that she had clearly overestimated the two young women. The first and only lesson that Cora has given the girls thus far, is levitating a small teacup. Both Emma and Regina have failed to do the task correctly. Instead of simply levitating the teacup, Regina had sent it flying across the room; on her second try, she accidentally shattered it into pieces, and on her third try, the teacup just remained on the table, not moving an inch. Emma, on the other hand, tried three times, and each levitation attempt ended up with the same result: exploding the teacup.

Cora never thought it was possible for the young married couple to be so inadequate with magic, but clearly she was wrong.

"I don't understand what I'm doing wrong! I've been focusing all of my energy on levitating the teacup, just like the book said, but all it does is explode! It's not my fault." Emma says childishly, causing both Cora and Regina to roll their eyes at the blonde.

"Perhaps you're focusing too much of your energy on the teacup, and not enough energy on making the teacup float?" Regina reasons with her blonde companion. Emma pouts at that and crosses her arms over her chest, fixing Regina with a petulant glare.

"Care to explain why your teacup hasn't floated yet, or do you not have an explanation for your own failure?" Emma mutters under breath, but Regina and Cora catch it, the former narrowing her eyes dangerously at the blonde.

"I'll have you know that despite my efforts to make the teacup float, I have been able to, at least, make it mobile! Hell, I even hurled that tiny porcelain cup across the room, so your argument is invalid." Regina said dismissively, causing Emma's pout to deepen. A smile makes its way onto Cora's face at the interaction. She'll never admit this to anyone, not even Henry, but she loves the fact she played a part in getting her daughter married to Emma. Sure, the two younger girls have been bickering since the start of their lessons, but the love and affection they have for one another is clear, and Cora can't help but feel as if she's done at least two things right in her life; the first thing was giving birth to Regina, and the second, was marrying her daughter off to her true love (even if her daughter has no clue that Emma _is_ her true love, though, Cora is aware that Emma knows. The blonde told her as much the morning before they left the Mills Castle, right before she asked for magic lessons).

"Whatever." Emma says in defeat, causing a triumphant smirk to grace Regina's lips.

"As cute as your newlywed bickering is, we need to keep working on this. I refuse to move on from this lesson, until you both manage to levitate the teacup." Cora says sternly, making Emma and Regina groan in displeasure.

A few minutes later, Cora watches as Regina fails to make the teacup move, and watches as Emma explodes her fourth teacup. She wonders how many teacups the girls have left in the cottage… After watching the lack of progress being made with the lesson, Cora decides to take a different approach. Getting up from her seat on the couch, Cora walks over to the living room table, picking up Regina's teacup. Regina looks up at her mother questioningly, but doesn't actually verbalize her question. She's sure that whatever she asks won't get answered anyway. Without saying a word, Cora brings up the teacup, leveling it with her eye, and without warning, she drops it. Before the teacup gets the chance to fall to its doom, it suddenly stops, floating about 2 inches away from the ground. Cora watches in awe as her daughter focuses all of her attention on the teacup, keeping it in midair effortlessly. She watches as Regina slowly lowers the teacup onto the ground, with her magic.

"Whoa." Emma and Regina say in unison. Cora smirks at the two girls and bends down, picking the teacup off of the floor.

"Emma, catch." Cora says, throwing the teacup towards the girl. Without warning, the teacup stops midair, stopping a few inches away from Emma's face. Cora watches the blonde concentrates all of her energy onto lowering the teacup into the palm of her, outstretched, hand. "Very good, girls." Cora says in an impressed tone. "Let's try this a few more times until you've got it down and then we can move on to our next lesson."

* * *

After four more levitation tries, both girls successfully floated their teacups without problem. Since it seems that the floating teacup lesson was a success, Cora moved on to calling for objects. Both girls read what calling for objects entailed and after reading the passage on what to do, they started attempting it. Of course, it took a while for them to be successful with their lesson. Cora had to hijack Regina's favorite novel, in order to get her daughter to call for her object, watching as the book disappeared from her grasp and reappeared in Regina's hands. Smirking to herself, she held Emma's favorite sword hostage and watched as the sword disappeared from her grasp and reappeared in Emma's. It's safe to say that the two girl's magic skills kick in when they're being threatened, or in this case, when their stuff is being threatened.

After the calling for objects lesson, Cora decided to assign some reading to both girls, deciding to call it a day with the lessons. The sun is already beginning to set, and after dealing with the two teenage girls all day, Cora is ready to go back to Alexander and Archibald's cottage, and take a, long, much-needed rest. After assigning a few passages for the girls to read, Cora bid them farewell and left the cottage, jumping onto the horse tied out front for her, and then galloping away.

Regina and Emma watch through the living room window, as Mrs. Mills takes off on the horse Alex left out front for her. They watch the older woman until she's out of sight. They move away from the window and throw themselves onto the couch, both exhausted from all of the reading and magic use.

"I am so tired…" Emma mumbles out, her head resting on Regina's shoulder. Regina places her head atop Emma's and hums in agreement, her eyes closed as a yawn escapes her mouth. "Your mother wasn't as brash or unwelcoming as I thought she'd be. She was surprisingly patient and helpful." Emma says in awe. Regina snorts at that.

"Patient and helpful? The woman held our things hostage and attempted to break our teacups." Regina says with an incredulous laugh. Emma chuckles at that and lifts her head off of Regina's shoulder, causing the brunette to look at her and lock eyes with her.

"She was obviously testing a theory. The theory being that our instincts tend to kick in when we're being threatened or attacked. And that theory was proven correct, obviously." Emma says in amusement. Regina thinks it over for a few seconds and realizes that Emma is right; she and Emma were able to get their magical abilities to cooperate, only when her mother decided to attack their things. It makes sense. Maybe her mother really does know what she's doing.

"You're right." Regina says in agreement, causing Emma to smirk in triumph. Regina rolls her eyes playfully at the girl and gets up from her spot on the couch.

"Where are you going?"

"I'm tired. Those lessons really took a lot out of me and judging by your drooping eyes, it's safe to say that it took a lot out of you too. Let's get ready for bed." Regina suggests, holding out a hand for Emma to take. Emma lazily reaches her hand out and grasps Regina's, allowing the brunette to pull her up to her feet. The two girls walk into their bedroom and quickly change out of their clothes, slipping on their white nightgowns. They both make their way to their respective sides of the bed, lying down, Regina's back, to Emma's front. Emma snuggles into Regina's back, throwing an arm over the brunette's torso.

It's safe to say that Regina and Emma's closeness has begun intensifying since that night at the ball, a week ago. Emma doesn't know if it's because of their amazing communication skills, or because their true love bond is making itself more known, but either way, she's not complaining.

"I wonder what our lesson for tomorrow will be." Emma wonders out loud. Regina smiles to herself at the excitement in the other girl's tone, having a weird flashback of a moment similar to this one, only, she and Emma were a bit younger. The smile wipes itself off of her face, as a look of confusion takes over. She doesn't recall her and Emma ever having a moment like this when they were younger, considering that she and Emma never got along before now. She quickly shakes off the weird flashback and focuses on her conversation with Emma.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it will be energy draining." Regina says playfully, listening as Emma mockingly groans in disappointment. She giggles at the girl's displeased groan and pushes her back further into Emma, reveling in the tightening of Emma's arm around her torso. Emma places a kiss at the back of Regina's neck, causing Regina's stomach to flutter.

"Night, Regina." Emma says tiredly. Before Regina gets the chance to return the sentiment, another flashback flashes through her mind, showing her of a younger version of her and Emma, lying together in bed, except, it was Regina's old bed at the Mills castle.

_Younger Emma had her arm wrapped around a younger Regina's waist, the blonde's head resting against the brunette's back. "Goodnight, Regina." Younger Emma says to Regina sweetly. Younger Regina smiles to herself and snuggles further into the girl's embrace, reveling in the feel of the blonde's arm tightening around her waist, pulling her closer. _

"_Goodnight, Emma." Younger Regina says quietly to the girl, before drifting off to sleep._

Regina's confusion only intensifies at that flashback. She can't ever recall that moment happening, yet, something feels oddly familiar about it. Shaking herself out of her confusion, Regina pushes aside that weird, flashback; the flashback that she doesn't think ever really occurred, but feels so familiar. "Goodnight, Emma." She says quietly, closing her eyes, and hoping for sleep to come. She'll figure out what those flashbacks meant, another time. Right now, all she wants to do, is sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

"Regina, duck!" Emma yells out to the brunette. Instead of ducking, Regina turns her attention to the blonde girl, only to have a hard object smash into her forehead.

"Ouch! Emma! What the hell?!" Regina says with a pained groan, rubbing at the sore spot on her forehead. Emma winces at the red spot forming on the girl's forehead and offers an apologetic smile.

"You're supposed to duck, Regina… I didn't think that you'd just stand there…" Emma mumbles out sheepishly. Regina looks at the girl with a raised brow and huffs indignantly.

"Well, how was I supposed to know that you were going to hurl a teacup at my forehead?" Regina asks with a groan as she rubs at her forehead. Emma walks over to the water-filled basin on the kitchen table and dips a nearby rag into it, walking over to Regina afterwards to place the wet cloth on her forehead. Regina releases a pleased groan at the feel of the cool cloth on her forehead and offers Emma a grateful smile, though the look in her eyes is letting the blonde know that she is still at fault.

"Look, I'm sorry. I lost control of the teacup and sent it hurling towards you by accident. I was actually aiming for the couch…" Emma mutters in embarrassment, causing Regina to chuckle. The couch was on the opposite the side of the room where Regina was standing. Regina walks over to the couch and takes a seat on it, resting her head on the back cushions with a small sigh. A few seconds later, Regina feels the couch dip on the other side of her, signaling that Emma has taken a seat next to her. Regina cracks open one of her closed eyelids and smirks at the blonde beside her. Emma rolls her eyes at Regina's smirk and copies the brunette's position, resting her head on the back cushions as well. "Why is it so hard to control my magic?" Emma asks after a few seconds of silence, a resigned sigh escaping her lips.

The girls had started their magic lessons with Cora over a week ago, and so far, Cora has had the girls practicing the lessons they've learned on the first day. Only, instead of learning how to merely float objects or call for them, they have been learning how to control the movement of these objects, hence why Emma was hurling the teacup across the room. Though, she was supposed to stop it right before it hit the couch, or well, Regina, in this case.

"Because you're still new to it, as am I. With more practice and time, we will get it right." Regina tells the girl reassuringly, reaching out her hand to pat the girl's knee.

"You're already a natural at this. You've been studying magic for as long as I have, yet you've managed to successfully navigate your items with the use of your magic. I, on the other hand, can't move a freaking teacup, or pen for that matter, without sending it crashing or flying uncontrollably through the air." Emma says grumpily. Regina picks up her head off the back couch cushions, holding the cloth in place on her forehead as she does so, and sits up to face Emma. Emma seems to sense Regina's eyes on her, so she sits up as well and turns to face Regina, immediately locking eyes with compassionate pair of brown orbs staring back at her.

"You. Will. Get. It." Regina says slowly, punctuating every word sternly, as if to let Emma know that she means what she's saying. As Emma looks into Regina's eyes, she can see that the brunette means every word she's saying, and that she truly believes in her. She can't help but believe the girl so she nods her head.

"Okay. I believe you."

"Good." Regina says with a satisfied smirk. Both girls share a smile with one another before they lean back again, resting their heads back on the couch cushions. "We have sword fighting lessons soon, don't we?" Regina asks after a moment of silence. Emma hums her answer and Regina groans in displeasure. "How am I supposed to go through a sparring session when my head feels like it was hit with a hard porcelain teacup? Oh wait…." Regina says playfully causing Emma to groan in embarrassment once again.

"I told you I was sorry!" Emma groans out, causing Regina to laugh loudly at the pink tint forming on Emma's cheeks. Teasing Emma is fun. Suddenly, a flashback fills her mind, taking her back to a scene with a young Emma and Regina seated on the floor of her bed room in the Mills Castle.

* * *

_I'm sorry, Regina… I didn't mean to hit you with the ball. In my defense, I was aiming for the wall!" Younger Emma stated defensively to a semi-annoyed Regina. Regina clutches at her sore forehead and aims a glare in Emma's direction, causing the blonde girl to shrink back in embarrassment. _

"_Tell that to my forehead, Emma!" Younger Regina exclaims, wincing at the soreness she feels in her forehead. Who knew a rubber ball could inflict such pain? Emma cautiously makes her way closer to Regina, removing the brunette's hand from her forehead. She, then, slowly places a light kiss to the forehead, causing Regina to flinch in pain. Emma offers her a small, apologetic smile and blows her cool breath onto the red forehead, causing a hum of delight to escape Regina's throat. _

"_I'm sorry. I really was aiming for the wall…" Emma says apologetically, her cheeks tinged with pink. Regina smiles at the girl and shakes her head in amusement._

"_You have really poor aim, Miss White. You should work on that." Regina says with a chuckle, causing the blonde's cheeks to turn an even darker shade of pink. Regina gets up from her spot on the floor and holds her hand out to Emma, waiting for the blonde to grasp her hand. As she does, the brunette pulls the blonde girl up to her feet and begins exiting her room. "Let's go outside and play catch, perhaps we can work on your aim."_

* * *

Regina shakes herself out her daze, trying to remember when that memory took place, but is coming up empty… This her third flashback since last week. Her second flashback was one of her and Emma having a running race in the castle's courtyard with Timothy as their chaperone. Everything about these flashbacks seem so familiar, yet, she can't recall a time when any of these moments occurred. As Regina turns her attention to Emma, she sees a faraway look in her blonde companion's eyes, as if the girl in question is having a flashback of her own…but how would that possible? How could both of them have flashbacks of things that, as far as they both knew, never even happened?

As Emma shakes herself out of her daze, she and Regina stare at one another with unreadable expressions. A knock on their front door snaps the girls out of their staring contest and they quickly hop up from their spots on the couch, grabbing their swords from the doorway. As they open the door, Alexander and Archibald are staring at the girls with small smiles, though Alexander's smile aimed towards Regina is more of a scowl than a smile. He hasn't really gotten over the fact that Regina shot him.

"Good morning, girls!" Archibald says to the girls in a chirpy voice, casing both girls to return the greeting. "Today, our lessons will be a lot different than what you both are used to." He tells the girls with a sly smirk on his face, causing an uneasy expression to grace the girls' faces." You'll see what I mean when we get to the practice field. So, on we go!" He says enthusiastically, quickly making his way to his horse, causing Regina and Emma to follow him unsurely. All four of them, wordlessly, mount their horses, their swords strapped securely across their backs. Without saying a word, they begin trotting away on their horses towards the direction of the practice field, Regina and Emma apprehensive to see what awaits them on that field.

* * *

"So, Emma, Regina, these are my sons, Stanley and Evan. Both of whom are skilled swordsmen." Archibald says, pointing to two tall and muscular blond men standing on his left. "And these two lovely ladies on my right, are my daughters, Alexandria and Freya, both of whom are skilled swordswomen." He says pointing to two fit looking blonde women before he continues. "Today, instead of you fighting me or Alexander, you will be fighting one of my sons and one of my daughters at the same time. In other words, this will be a two on one fight. Seem unfair to you? Good." Archibald says before either Regina or Emma can protest, which judging by the scowls on their faces, they are definitely ready to argue with the man. "I will give you two a few minutes to stretch and prepare." Archibald says with a smirk before he walks away with Alexander towards the sidelines of the field.

"I'm sorry about our dad just springing this up on you, he loves using the element of surprise. I'm also sorry that we couldn't have met you two under better circumstances, your highnesses." Evan says to the girls with a respectful bow. Regina and Emma smile at the boy, who couldn't be any older than 16, and curtsy at him in response.

"It's okay, I guess. It's not your fault." Emma says to the boy, causing all 4 siblings to smile at the two princesses.

"So, what's it like being royalty?" Alexandria says as she begins stretching her limbs, watching as Emma and Regina follow suit.

"It's almost the same as being a non-royal. The only difference is that people tend to recognize us wherever we go and we tend to have enemies that we've never even met. That's about it, really." Emma says half-jokingly, half serious. Their guard's children all laugh at that and nod their heads in understanding. "If you don't mind me asking, how old are you all?"

"Well, I'm 20." Stanley says before pointing at the rest of his siblings. "Freya is 18, and Alexandria and Evan, who are fraternal twins by the way, are 16."

"Ah, so we're all close in age. That's good. At least I won't have to feel bad about kicking a child's ass." Emma says in cocky tone, paired with her signature cocky smirk. Regina's body inwardly shudders with arousal at that look. _Damn Emma's sexiness_, Regina thinks to herself.

Evan snorts in amusement. "Oh, please. We're going to wipe the floor with you." He says, bumping fists with Alexandria. Emma and Regina roll their eyes at the twins and smirk in amusement.

"We'll see about that." Emma says with a wink.

"Alright guys! Time to fight!" Archibald says, walking back over to the group with Alexander in tow.

* * *

"You might want to ice your jaw, it's looking pretty swollen." Emma says to Evan cockily as the teenager grunts in pain, flinching as his fingertips touch the underside of his jaw. On the other side of him is Alexandria, groaning at the pain in her leg from where Emma kicked her. "You might want to ice your leg as well." She says to her with a cocky smile, earning a grunt of disapproval from the teen girl. Emma walks away from her two "victims" and saunters over to where an injured Freya and Stanley are lying down on the grass, groaning in pain and exhaustion. Emma smirks at them as she takes in the sight of an unharmed Regina. "She got you good, didn't she?" Emma asks the two older siblings with a smirk. They glare at her in mock anger, causing her to giggle at them.

"My father and Alexander have trained you well." Stanley says hesitantly, clutching onto his injured arm. Emma and Regina lock eyes with each other, sharing a triumphant smile.

"Thanks. Your father has trained you all well, too. You guys weren't easy to take down." Emma says, complimenting the groaning siblings with a smile. They all smile (more like grimace) back at her and nod in agreement.

"Here you go, kids, drink up." Archibald and Alexander say, handing out cups of cold water to the four bruised children.

"You guys can head to the bathhouse and take a bath if you want. Alex and I have warmed up the water for whichever two of you want to go first." With that being said, Alexandria and Freya shoot up from their spots on the ground, groaning in pain as they do so, and sluggishly make their way towards their father's bathhouse. Archibald chuckles at his daughters and turns back towards the remaining group. "Regina, Emma, feel free to continue practicing with each other if you want. I think you two have proved that you are more than skilled in the art of sword fighting, so if you want to go do something else, feel free." Archibald tells them with a kind smile. Regina and Emma smile back at him and decide to just sit on the field with Stanley and Evan. It's not every day that they get to hang out with people around their age-unless they count each other.

* * *

After spending the last few hours with Archibald, his children, and Alexander, Regina and Emma made their way home, exhausted from the long day they've had. Once they got home, they bathed, changed, and crawled into bed together, more than ready to let sleep overcome them. As they lay in bed together, Emma's arms wrapped tightly around Regina's waist, her even breaths filling Regina's ear, Regina lays awake, unable to let the sleep overcome her. As tired as she is, her mind won't turn off, allowing her the luxury of something as coveted as sleep. She just lays there, staring at the wall in front of her and listening to the sounds of Emma's deep and even breaths. Regina wishes that she could fall asleep as easily as the blonde. Life would be so much easier if she could just fall asleep.

Regina sighs to herself and turns over from her side, now resting on her back. She stares up at the ceiling above her and slightly turns her head to look at the sleeping face of Emma. Gorgeous and Angelic-looking, Emma. Regina takes in the sight of the blonde's smooth and angelic looking features, seeing no worry or anger, or anything but pure _peace_, on the girl's face. Regina wonders if she ever looks that peaceful when she's asleep. Too bad it's impossible to stare at your own sleeping form. She wonders if she should ask Emma how she looks when she's asleep…does the blonde ever watch her sleep the way she watches the blonde sleep? If not, does that mean what she's doing is creepy? God, she hopes not. That would just be hard to explain. She can only imagine all of the teasing Emma would do if she were to ever admit, or even imply, that she watches the blonde sleep. She'd die of embarrassment.

Regina closes her eyes once again, hoping for sleep to finally come. But instead of sleep coming, another one of those confusing flashbacks pop up in her mind. Except, in this flashback, it's neither her nor Emma speaking, it's her parents along with Emma's parents, speaking. Regina's brow furrows when she takes in the scene before her, staring at her seemingly lifeless body lying on the floor of her ballroom, a hysterical Emma holding her head in her lap.

* * *

"_What the hell happened here? Who did this to her?!" Henry demanded, taking in the sight of his unconscious daughter. Henry stares at Regina's slumped body with tears in his eyes, while Snow and Charming look at the couple with sympathy._

"_It's the sleeping curse…" Cora mutters quietly, stealing a glance at her daughter being held in Emma White's arms. Cora wipes away a stray tear on her cheek and turns her attention back to the White Queen, as well as Charming _

"_Who do you think could have done this?" Snow asks with a sniffle, not quite able to stop the tears from falling from her eyes at the sight of her distressed 14 year old daughter, as well the poisoned 14 year old girl in her arms. _

"_Rumplestiltskin. That damn imp did this! He put my daughter under this curse as a way to get back at me…That imp is going to pay!" Cora says in anger, the air in the room crackling around her. Snow and Charming look at her in alarm and do their best to placate her._

"_You can worry about revenge later, right now what we need to do, is see if there is a way to wake Regina up." Charming reasons. Cora lets out a long, drawn out breath and nods in agreement. _

"_Fine. Carry her to her bedchamber and then follow me into my vault. We will have find a way to wake my daughter before it's too late." _

* * *

Regina's eyes widen once the flashback ends. She turns her head to the side to stare at Emma, expecting to see her sleeping face, but instead, finds her brown eyes locking onto Emma's wide and alert green ones. The two stare at one another in tense silence. Regina suddenly recalls Emma telling her that an event happened four years ago that caused Cora to put a memory erasing spell on both her and Emma… and then it finally hits her….

She's remembering.


	17. Chapter 17

It's maddening. All of these random flashbacks that have been repeatedly flashing through Regina's mind has been _absolutely_ _maddening_. One moment, she's experiencing a fun or intimate moment with Emma in the present day and then, suddenly, she's thrown back into the past, experiencing a moment very similar to the present moment with a younger version of herself and Emma. The more she sees in these flashbacks, the more questions that begin to build up in her mind. She's seen herself cuddling with Emma, she's seen Emma fawn over her, she's seen her parents fawn over her, and she's seen her mother actually look _frightened_ for her. It feels as if these flashbacks never happened in the first place, but were all part of a dream. An illusion. A made-up past. But it's not a dream, it's not an illusion, and it's not made-up. It all happened. Every last thing that she's seen…has happened. She and Emma never really hated each other. She could see that by the way the two interacted with each other in the flashbacks and she can see it with the way she and Emma interact with each other now.

They have always cared for one another. They have always _felt_ something for one another. For the last fourteen years, they were convinced it was hate, or in better terms, major dislike. But, really, it was the complete opposite of that. It was hidden _love_. A love that was obviously strong enough to have Emma by Regina's bedside for however long she was under that sleeping curse. A love that kept Emma there, even _after_ Regina was woken from the curse. A love that might have very well woken Regina up from that curse in the first place. The flashback that would confirm her suspicion hasn't come yet, but there is no doubt in Regina's mind that Emma is the one that woke her from the sleeping curse. Emma is her _true love_. Her _destined_ love. Regina has spent the last two weeks analyzing her every moment with Emma since they married one another. She has spent every moment analyzing her flashbacks. She has spent every moment analyzing her interactions with Daniel since his first visit to the cottage and replayed all of the things he said to her the day he broke off their relationship. Everything seems to be falling into place, yet, a confirmation has yet to come. She _needs_ that confirmation. She _wants_ that confirmation. She _craves_ it. She craves the knowledge that will confirm that she, does indeed, belong to Emma, and that Emma belongs to her.

Who would have thought that Regina would feel this strongly for Emma White? Certainly not Regina, that's for sure.

"Hey, your mom brought us some bread and cheese for breakfast. Do you want that or would your prefer some porridge?" Emma asks as she comes in through the front door holding a tray of bread slices and various cheeses. Regina smiles at Emma and takes a few moments to study the blonde's face, admiring the way the sun creates a halo over her head and makes her green eyes twinkle brightly.

"The bread and cheese is fine." Regina tells her softly. Emma nods at her and smiles, walking over to the living room table to place the tray on the surface of it. She, then, walks over to Regina on the sofa and plops down on the spot next to her, dropping a kiss on top of Regina's head on her way down. "So what are our plans today?" Regina asks Emma as she picks up a piece of cheese, taking a bite of it.

"Well, Alexander and Archibald cancelled all our lessons for the next few weeks and your mom postponed our magic lesson until later this evening. So…we have a few hours to do whatever. What do you want to do?" Emma asks as she bites into a slice of bread, taking a sip of tea right after.

"Can we just stay in and talk? There's a lot of things I want us to talk about." Regina says quietly, biting her lip as she stares into Emma's questioning green eyes. Emma silently nods at her in agreement.

"Sure. What about?" Emma asks as she picks up another slice of bread to nibble on.

"I'll tell you after I have my bath." Regina says with a small smile as she gets up and makes her way into their bedroom, only to come back a few seconds later with her clothes and towel in hand.

"Have a good bath."

"I always do."

"I bet it'd be better if I joined you…" Emma mutters lowly, but not low enough. Regina whirls around and eyes Emma with a blush taking over her cheeks. Emma's eyes widen in panic when she notices Regina looking at her. A pink tint makes its way across her cheeks at Regina's bewildered look, so she uncomfortably clears her throat, looking anywhere but Regina. "You know, because…then we could have a splash fight….or something…" Emma amends weakly, causing Regina to raise a brow at her in disbelief. "Go take your bath, Regina." Emma says quietly, stuffing a piece of cheese in her mouth.

"Sure you don't want to join me?" Regina asks teasingly, a smirk now on her face, though the pink tint in her cheeks is still present. Emma's eyes widen at that, the cheese getting lodged in her throat at the suggestion, causing her to cough in an attempt to get the cheese out of her airway. Regina quickly makes her way towards Emma, patting her back roughly until the blonde is no longer choking. Emma wheezes out a quiet _thanks_. "Sorry, you kind of brought that upon yourself." Regina says with a giggle. Emma scowls at her, which only causes Regina to giggle even harder. Emma playfully swats Regina's butt which automatically causes Regina's mouth to shut and her eyes to widen in surprise.

"Go take your bath before I really do join you." Emma says daringly, smiling in delight at the dark blush coloring Regina's cheeks. Wordlessly, Regina picks up her discarded towel and clothes that fell off of her shoulder during her giggling fit, and turns around, marching out of the front door into the bathhouse without a backwards glance. Emma smirks in triumph at Regina's departed form and picks up her forgotten teacup, taking a sip of her, now, lukewarm tea. "Maybe next time she'll actually let me join." Emma mutters under her breath.

* * *

"Feeling clean?" Emma asks Regina as the brunette walks back into the house, her wet hair pulled back into a ponytail and her towel draped over her forearm. Regina walks past Emma, ignoring her question and walking to their bedroom, only to come back into the living room a few seconds later, plopping down next to Emma on the sofa. "So…you're not feeling clean?" Emma asks jokingly. Regina rolls her eyes at her and smiles.

"I am. So…I think we need to talk now."

"Are you breaking up with me? Because I think it's a bit too late for that, 'Gina." Emma says playfully, causing Regina to roll her eyes at her again.

"I couldn't get rid of you if I tried. You're like an annoying fly that never stops buzzing around my ear. It's like, I try to swat you away but you just keep on coming back." Regina says with a playful huff.

"You love being near me and my abs, just as much as I love being near you and your dazzling smile." Emma says with a shrug, causing said smile to break out onto Regina's face. Emma smiles back at her and places a light kiss on her cheek. "Now, enough with this mushy crap, though I totally love it, but you said you wanted to talk. So, let's talk." Regina takes a deep breath and faces forward, locking eyes with Emma's.

"Well, first of all, I would like to say that I love spending time with you. Which is totally odd seeing as how I used to totally despise you...or at least, I let myself believe that I did. Now, I'm not so sure, but I think that I may want to keep you around a little while longer." Regina starts off jokingly, causing Emma to smile. "But anyway, let's get down to business. I just…. You know…. Um… Okay, listen, do you remember what you said about my mother putting a memory erasing spell on us four years ago because of a tragic event that occurred?" Regina starts off. Emma slowly nods, starting to see where this conversation is headed, but stays quiet, waiting for Regina to continue. "Have you been remembering any of the events that we've forgotten, by any chance?" Emma's eyes widen in surprise at that.

"What-what do you mean?" The blonde asks, treading lightly, wanting to make sure she knows where the brunette is going with this.

"I mean…have you been getting any flashbacks? Like, little flashes of our forgotten memories?"

"….yes. Have you?" Emma asks slowly. Regina nods.

"Yes. I started getting them the night of our first magic lesson with my mother. Right before bed. In my flashback, we were headed to bed together and your arms were wrapped securely around my waist. It wasn't much of a flashback, really, but it was definitely something I never thought I'd see our younger selves do in a million years. I had no clue what it was at first…but then, after the intense flashback I had like two weeks ago, I realized it was just that. A flashback." Regina says confusedly. Emma gulps at that and looks into conflicted brown eyes.

"That was my first flashback too. I had it right before I fully drifted off to sleep that day after our lessons with Cora…what did you see in that intense flashback?" Emma asks nervously, remembering very clearly the flashback she saw of Regina, unconscious in her arms. She shudders uncomfortably every time she remembers the look on her own, younger self's face, tears streaming down her cheeks as she looked down at younger Regina's sleeping form in helplessness. Emma's eyes glaze over as her breathing becomes labored, remembering the scene from her flashback. She misses the look of concern on Regina's face as she gets lost in her thoughts. Regina pats Emma's knee, snapping the blonde's attention back to her brunette companion. "I'm sorry, I was just remembering something."

"You were seeing the flashback of me after I took the sleeping curse, weren't you? You gave me the same look you were just sporting, the night I first got that flashback." Regina says softly. Emma nods slowly, not meeting Regina's eyes.

"It was horrific."

"I agree. Especially since I was the one under the curse. But what made that vision even worse was looking at you…you looked so helpless and scared and oh my god, Emma… it was painful to see." Regina said softly, tears forming in the corner of her eyes. When Emma sees a tear escape Regina's eye, she quickly brings the bad of her thumb to the brunette's cheek, wiping it away.

"I know, I know. I now understand why your mom put that spell on us. Sure, she should have given us the option of whether we want to remember or not, but at the same time…it's an awful memory to have."

"It is, indeed. Though, there are more than a few memories that I would like to have kept. 14 year old you was such a sweetie." Regina says sweetly, placing a kiss on Emma's flushed cheek.

"Well, 14 year old me was in love with you and wanted to spend every moment with you. Of course she was sweet."

"What about 18 year old you?" Emma smiles gently at the question and allows her eyes to connect to Regina's with an earnest expression.

"18 year old me is very much in love with you and wants to spend every moment with you. I guess that didn't change." Emma says sweetly, causing Regina's heart to burst in her chest. Emma leans in closer to Regina until her nose is brushing against the brunette's. Their eyes lock onto one another's in an intense stare. "I really want to kiss you right now." Emma whispers against Regina's lips. "Can I?" Regina nods and closes the distance before Emma could make a move. The moment their lips touch, they both see stars, Regina reaches her arms around Emma's back to pull her closer, holding her in place. Emma's palms Regina's cheeks gently, caressing the girl's face with the pad of her thumb. Regina deepens the kiss, swiping her tongue against Emma's bottom lip for entrance, which Emma automatically grants her. The kiss becomes passionate, their tongues brushing softly against one another's, occasionally exploring each other's mouths. Regina moves one arm from around Emma's back, lifting a hand to tangle into Emma's blonde tresses.

The kiss continues on for what seems like hours, but in reality, is only 3 minutes. When the need for air becomes too much, the two girls pull away from each other, their breathing heavy. Their eyes slowly flutter open, locking onto one another's gaze, their faces flushed. Before either girl gets the chance to open their mouths to say something, a memory flashes through their minds.

* * *

"_Regina, you have to wake up." Younger Emma says helplessly, grasping Regina's hand in her own, the pad of her thumb brushing against the back of the brunette's hand. The blonde watches as Regina's chest rises up and down with each breath she takes, hoping more than anything that the brunette's eyes will open. But they don't. Emma unclasps one of her hands from Regina's and brings it up towards the brunette's pale face. She uses the pad of her thumb to brush Regina's cheek gently before bringing it up to brush a stray piece of hair behind the girl's ear. "I need you to wake up, Regina. Don't ask me why it's so important to me, just know that it is. Believe it or not, I actually really like you. We may fight a lot, but you are the closest thing I have to a friend. I don't want to live in a world where you don't exist. Who am I going to fight with if you don't wake up?" Emma asks Regina, waiting for an answer she knows she's never going to get. Emma sighs to herself and rests her forehead against she and Regina's clasped hands._

_Emma lifts her head again and stares at Regina's pale face. An idea suddenly strikes her, one that she isn't sure will even work, but she has to try. She just has to. Emma slowly rises up from bedside chair and leans forward, her lips hovering over Regina's lips. For a split second, Emma hesitates, taking a deep breath to steady her wildly beating heart. Without wasting another second, Emma clumsily presses her lips against Regina's. A shift in the air occurs, causing Emma to pull back swiftly. Emma watches as the color returns to Regina's face, the brunette's eyes fluttering open and a gasp escaping the girl's throat. Tears threaten to spill out of Emma's eyes as she takes in the sight of the, now, awake Regina. Regina's eyes cut to Emma at the sound of a sniffle, her brown eyes softening at the sight of the distressed girl._

"_Miss White, why are you crying?" Regina croaks out quietly. Emma smiles a watery smile at the girl and reaches behind her on Regina's bedside table, picking up a glass of water to offer to Regina. Regina slowly sits up and takes the glass from Emma, taking a slow slip from it. After a few more sips, she hands the glass back to the blonde, weakly smirking at the girl. "Pull yourself together, girl. Puffy eyes and a runny nose aren't a good look on you." Regina says jokingly, her voice still scratchy. Emma smiles at her and launches forward, wrapping her arms around the brunette, catching the other girl in a tight embrace._

"_I missed you, Regina."_

"_No need to miss me, Miss White. I'm right here."_

* * *

Emma and Regina stare at each other for a long moment, neither girl capable of breaking each other's gaze.

"I knew it." Regina says quietly, a small smile breaking out onto her face.

"Knew what?"

"You're my true love. We were meant to be together." The brunette says softly.

"We were." Emma agrees easily, a small smile breaking onto her own face. A few silent moments pass between the two girls, both girls staring at each other in amazement. It isn't until Regina opens her mouth that the true importance of this moment is acknowledged.

"Holy freaking shit."


	18. Chapter 18

"I know this is a lot to take in, Regina, I really do, but you have got to calm down honey. If you stress any harder, you'll give yourself an aneurysm and I don't think your wife is quite ready to be a widow." Cora says, half in amusement, half in panic. She had come to the cottage earlier in the evening, fully prepared to give the girls a new lesson in magic, expecting to come face-to-face with eager-to-learn expressions. But this…_this_, she was not expecting. After all of the progress that she and Regina had made in the last few weeks, she never thought she'd see the look of anger and distaste being thrown at her from her daughter again… at least, not _this_ soon. The moment Cora came through the door, Regina pounced on her like a lion stalking its pray, piercing her with a gaze so sharp, she was surprised that she wasn't bleeding. Her daughter was always a feisty one. She obviously gets that trait from her, the compassion must have come from Henry.

"This is not a joke, mother!" Regina says in exasperation while pacing the floor, her hand tangling in her flowing brown locks, a look of exhaustion on her face. Cora looks at her daughter with a fond smile and shakes her head in amusement.

"Look, Regina, I understand that what I did to you all those years ago may seem a bit inconsiderate, but believe me when I say I was doing it for your own good. I didn't want you to be plagued by those awful memories. The Whites and I, as well as your father, thought it would be best if you and Emma continued living your lives as if nothing ever happened. We wanted you two to enjoy your youth and not have to worry about all of the dangers out there." Cora says softly and earnestly. Regina glares harder at her mother, her eyes turning into slits.

"What about the fact that you kept me from my true love for four years? All of this time, I had been so convinced that Daniel was the one for me. All of this time, I had been scared to feel anything for Emma, not even realizing that it was, indeed, _okay_ for me to have feelings for her. _Her_ being _my true love_ and all! God, mother, could you have been any more inconsiderate. I understand that at the time, it may have seemed like a good idea to erase our memories. I get it. What type of parent would want their child to remember being attacked and put under a sleeping curse? But what you didn't seem to consider was: What parent would want their child to forget the great memories they had _after_ said horrific event? Memories that involved finding their true love? I sure as hell wouldn't want my child to forget such a momentous occasion." Regina says with her hands placed on her hips, her chin stuck up in the air defiantly. Cora exaggeratedly exhales, walking over to the living room couch to take a seat.

"You and Emma would have found your way back to each other eventually. This, here, proves exactly that." Cora points out, gesturing around the cottage to drive her point further home. Regina rolls her eyes.

"Emma and I did not find our way back to one another. You, dad, and the Whites _forced_ us to marry each other. Neither of us were here because of our own free will!" Regina argues back.

"Either of you could have runaway if being apart was what you really desired. There's a reason the stables are only a ten minute walk away from here, while Archibald and Alexander's cottage is 15 minutes away by galloping horse. Neither I, nor Snow, have guards checking up on you at all hours of the day. You guys are actually quite free out here, completely independent and free to make your own choices. I am fully aware of the Daniel debacle that occurred during our visit. I am fully aware that he came to see you while we were here and I am more than certain that he came to see you. Am I wrong?" Cora states with a raised brow, smirking at Regina's shocked expression. "If you really did want to be with him, you would have fought harder to be with him, you would have fought harder to _leave_ with him. No one _forced_ you to stay here and be with Emma. That was all you, dear. Sure, your dad and I, and Emma's parents, may have forced you two to get married in the first place, but you two decided to stay together…that was all you and Emma's doing. Actually, don't think of it as us forcing you both, think of it as us pushing you into the right direction. We did this for your happiness, both of yours." Cora assures. Regina's jaw drops at that. Her mother was right…absolutely right. This was absolutely disconcerting. Since when was her mother actually right about anything? All of this time, she had the choice to leave…no one would have stopped her….but she _chose_ to stay. She _wanted_ to stay. Well, that just puts things into a new perspective, doesn't it?

"She's got a point, Regina." Emma quips from the kitchen table. Regina turns towards her blonde companion's voice and blinks at her. She forgot that Emma was even in the room.

"See, Emma agrees with my reasoning." Cora says smugly.

"Actually, I agree with my wife. You were still in the wrong, Mrs. Mills. You should have asked for our permission first. It was our memories, after all, not yours, not your husband's, not my parents'. Just adding in my pieces of silver…" Emma says with a shrug. Regina flashes Emma a smile, which Emma returns. Cora rolls her eyes at the girls' interaction with a small smile on her lips.

"You're already agreeing with everything she says." Cora says with a chuckle, an eyebrow raised at Emma. Emma shrugs and smirks. "This is ridiculous. You two should be thanking me and Henry, and the Whites. We made sure you two would end up together no matter what. I fail to see why either of you are upset with me. "

"Of course you fail to see it. You think everything you do is right." Regina says with an eye roll. Cora scoffs at her.

"Of course I do. It's because I am _always_ right." Cora says with her own eye roll. Emma watches in amusement as the mother and daughter pair get into similar positions, Regina and Cora simultaneously crossing their arms over their chests and rolling their eyes in a similar manner. Emma snorts out loud when she notices the two women wearing matching scowls. Emma doesn't think Regina realizes how much of her personality comes from her mother, though, the younger Mills is a lot kinder, sweeter, and more compassionate than her older counterpart, she's still managed to gain a few of her mother's physical and behavioral traits. It's quite hilarious to witness if Emma is being honest.

"Now, ladies, how about we just get on with our lessons for today?" Emma says, standing up from her seat at the kitchen table. Both women snap their heads towards the blonde, giving her an unreadable expression. Emma puts her hands up in mock surrender and slowly lowers herself back onto her chair. "Never mind then." She mumbles lowly.

"I don't get how you can act all high and mighty, _all_ the time. Believe it or not, _mother_, you don't always knows what's best. What would have been best, was for you to let Emma and I keep our memories." Regina says. Cora rolls her eyes for the nth time that day.

"Are we still talking about this? Can we just move on to a different topic now? This argument is extremely futile. What's done is done, dear. I cannot turn back time and undo what I have already done, it is completely over with now, and I would like very much to move on from this pointless discussion."

"You think this pointless?! Mother—"

"That's enough, Regina." Emma says cutting Regina off. She has a feeling this argument could last the whole day if she doesn't put a stop to it, and that is something she really wants to avoid. Regina raises a challenging brow at Emma, which Emma quickly returns. "Look, I understand why you're mad, I do. But like your mother said, what's done is done. At least we're together now, right? Sure, we may have spent the last four years not knowing what we really meant to each other, but we know _now_, and I don't know about you, but it's better late than never, right?" Emma reasons. Regina huffs, her strong stance deflating. Emma walks over to Regina's standing form and stands behind her, wrapping her arms over the brunette's waist while she places her chin on the other girl's shoulder. "You're stuck with me for the rest of your life, Regina. Want to know why?" Emma asks in a teasing tone that Regina automatically notices. Without waiting for an answer, Emma continues. "You are stuck with me because I am your true love and you are mine. We're destined for each other. You get to live unhappily ever after with me for the rest of your life. Isn't that great?!" Regina turns around in Emma's arms and pins the blonde with a non-threatening glare.

"Shut up."

"Make me." Emma says back challengingly. Regina smirks at her and leans in, placing a chaste kiss on Emma's lips. A strangled gasp from behind the two girls breaks them apart, causing them to look at a wide-eyed Cora. "I forgot your mother was in the room." Emma whispers in amusement to Regina.

"So did I. Maybe if we kiss some more, she'll forget about our lessons and leave."

Cora rolls her eyes at the two girls before her. "I can hear you. And not a chance. Enough of this little love fest, let's get started."

* * *

"Your mom is a slave driver." Emma says as she flops down onto the bed with a groan, now changed into her nightgown. Regina soon follows after, landing stomach first on Emma, their fronts pushed together as Regina lays on top of her wife. Cora had the girls conjuring various items during today's lesson, she also had them work on making themselves, as well as other objects, invisible. So far, only Regina has successfully been able to make herself invisible, though, making herself visible again proved to be a difficult task. Cora had to help make her reappear. Emma, on the other hand, managed to make her right arm invisible, though, just like Regina, she had no clue how to make it reappear, so all in all, the lessons were a bit of a disaster. Cora definitely got a good laugh out of her daughter and daughter-in-law's lack of skill in the invisibility department. Emma and Regina were not as amused.

"I am beyond drained right now." Regina groans out. Emma lifts her arms to wrap around Regina's waist, holding onto the brunette tightly.

"Hopefully not too drained for this." Emma says sweetly as Regina lifts her head to stare into her green eyes. Emma pushes the falling strands of brown locks behind Regina's ear as leans forward, capturing the brunette's lips with her own. Regina hums in pleasure at the contact and deepens the kiss, immediately swiping her tongue against the blonde's bottom lip, seeking entrance. When entrance is granted, their tongues timidly brush against each other's, stroking against each together softly in a soothing rhythm. Emma's continues holding onto Regina's waist as she rolls them over, now occupying the space on top that Regina was occupying just a few moments prior. Regina moans into the kiss at the sudden movement and reaches up a hand to tangle in Emma's hair. Emma slightly pulls back from the kiss, taking Regina's bottom lip between her teeth, tugging at it softly and releasing it with a plop. The blonde smirks seductively at the look of want on her brunette companion's face and leans back in, recapturing the brunette's lips with her own. The kiss becomes heated, up until the point that the kiss has become all teeth and tongues. Emma pushes a thigh in between Regina's legs as the kiss continues, putting unknown pressure against Regina's core. Regina gasps into the kiss at the feel of Emma's thigh on her bundle of nerves, and unconsciously begins rocking into it. When the tightening in her lower belly begins to intensify, Regina's eyes widen in realization. She swiftly slides out from under Emma and rolls to the other side of the bed, putting as much distance between she and Emma as possible.

Still panting, Emma looks at Regina in confusion and panic. "What happened? Did I—Did I hurt you? I'm sorry if I did…I didn't mean to… I ju—"

"No, you definitely didn't hurt me…quite the opposite actually." Regina mutters lowly, her voice thick with lust, and her eyes as black as night. Emma continues staring at her in confusion, still trying to decipher what the brunette meant by her statement.

"What do you mean by that?"

Regina's cheeks turn a dark shade of pink. She looks into Emma's beautiful, but extremely confused, eyes and exhales a shaky breath. "I mean….when you um, when you put your thigh against my…um…" Regina trails off, watching as Emma's eyes widen in understanding.

"Oh, shit…yeah…sorry about that. I didn't….I didn't even realize that I put it…_there_." Emma mutters in embarrassment. Regina rolls back over to Emma after a moment and throws her arms around the blonde's torso. She, then, places a chaste kiss to the blonde's forehead.

"It's okay, really, it is. But I'm not…I'm not ready for that yet… I mean…I've never actually…_you know_ and I mean, it's not that I don't want to, because I do, I just don't think now is the right time." Regina mutters, her cheeks resembling tomatoes at this point, and after taking a look at Emma, Emma's cheeks aren't fairing any better. Their cheeks could be twins right now.

"I'm not ready for that either…to be honest, you were my first kiss…so….um…yeah….but, like, when you _are_ ready...you'll tell me, right?" Emma asks hesitantly. Regina places a kiss on the tip of Emma's nose as an answer.

"Of course." She says with a sweet smile. Emma takes that moment to pull Regina into her arms, wrapping her into a secure embrace.

"Let's get some sleep. Goodnight, Regina."

"Goodnight, Emma."


	19. Chapter 19

"Mm. You're so soft." Regina murmurs into Emma's mouth as the blonde continues to assault Regina's mouth with her own, the brunette's hands rubbing across the blonde's lower back as the blonde's hands tangle into the brunette's long tresses. Regina moves her hand lower, gripping the blonde's thighs in her grasp as Emma bucks her hips into Regina's. When Emma pulls back from their heated kiss, Regina's hooded eyes flutter open, taking in the sight of the girl hovering above her. Emma smiles sweetly at the brunette she's currently straddling, before leaning down to reclaim the brunette's lips with her own. Regina moans in delight and brings her hands up to tangle in the blonde's curly locks. Emma's hands move down between their bodies, caressing the taut muscles of the brunette's abdomen. Regina moans in approval at the touch, slipping one hand out of the blonde's hair, sliding it down to the blonde's back, and under the fabric of the girl's nightgown, caressing Emma's soft skin.

Emma releases a breathy moan when Regina begins tracing tiny circles on her bare back, smiling into the kiss as Regina's other hand begins lightly massaging her scalp. She pulls back again to look down at the girl with adoring eyes. "I love getting to be with you like this. It's nice and just… everything I've ever needed. Everything I never even _knew_ I needed." Emma says gently, bringing a hand up to caress Regina's face. Regina leans into the touch, a small smile gracing her lips at the blonde's words.

"I know the feeling." Regina whispers truthfully. Emma smiles a bright smile at her companion and leans down to place a peck on the brunette's forehead, before moving down to place a kiss on the girl's cheek, nose, and then finally, her lips. After her little kiss attack, Emma rolls off of Regina and lays beside the girl, pulling Regina's body into hers while wrapping her arms around the brunette's waist. Regina turns around in Emma's arms so that she is now facing Emma, their eyes immediately locking onto one another's in an intense, yet comfortable, stare. "I love you, Emma." Regina breathes out after a moment of silence. A wide grin splits Emma's face at the brunette's words.

"I love you too, Regina. So much. "Emma says back to Regina softly.

Regina leans forward and allows her lips to brush Emma's softly, before pulling back and snuggling her head under the blonde's chin, resting her face in the crook of her neck. Emma sighs contentedly and listens as Regina's breaths even out, signaling that the brunette is fast asleep. Emma would love to go to sleep as well….but she can't. She's too turned on. For the last few weeks, she and Regina have been engaging in these heated make-out sessions that not only make her breathless…but also make her extremely…well, for the lack of a better word, _aroused_. She loves kissing Regina, she _really_ does, and it's basically her favorite pastime. But the more they kiss and grope each other, the harder it becomes for her to control herself. Emma has never gone all the way with anyone, hell, she's never even kissed anyone besides Regina, but she knows that she is just about ready to burst. Her sexual frustration has skyrocketed, and it's freaking killing her!

She's never wanted anyone the way she wants Regina. She's never felt so strongly about anyone, the way she feels about Regina. She's never even looked at anyone the way she looks at Regina. Regina is it for her. Regina is her true love….her _only_ love. Despite the fact that she and Regina are going to spend the rest of their lives together and have all of the time in the world to do _that_, Emma is starting to become a little impatient. The burning in her lower belly has become damn near unbearable, and all she wants to do is release it, to come undone and fall apart entirely. But she knows that Regina isn't ready for that step just yet, and the last thing she'd ever want to do is pressure the girl. So, what Emma has been doing for the last three weeks, is let Regina set the pace. When Regina is ready, Emma will be ready. And, oh, does she hope that day will come soon.

Unable to take the intense burning in her lower belly anymore, Emma slowly and cautiously removes her arm from Regina's waist and slowly backs away. When she manages to untangle her limbs from Regina's, she slowly rolls over, making sure enough distance is put between them before she gets off of the bed. Once she's fully stood, Emma peeks at Regina to see the girl still deep in slumber. She turns on her heels then, quietly padding out of their bedroom and onto the couch. She quickly closes the curtains over the windows in the living room and looks around to make sure no random person has snuck into the cottage. When she is sure the coast is clear, Emma lays sideways on the couch, slipping her hand into her drenched underwear. She teasingly rubs her fingers through her slick folds, before finding her little bundle of nerves, pressing two fingers to it, causing her to release a shuddery moan. She begins tracing her fingers along her slit, not having any intention of actually penetrating herself, but definitely considering it in that moment. Emma shakes herself out of her lustful haze and decides to stick to rubbing, not quite ready to do _that_, just yet. At least, not to herself. She'd rather Regina be the one to penetrate her, _that_ way, it will feel like her brunette lover was the one to take her virginity instead of her seemingly taking it away from herself. Emma is aware that she has weird logic. And she's okay with that.

She begins gently rubbing at the entrance of her slit, occasionally pressing her fingers to her bundle of nerves. She picks up a rhythm, moving at normal pace until the burning feeling intensifies tenfold. Emma starts to rub faster, adding even more pressure to the bundle, and not before long, she is coming undone, her body shaking with the aftershocks of her orgasm. Her rapid breathing soon begins to even out, her eyelids drooping in pleasurable exhaustion. She slips her hands from out of her underwear and gets up from the couch, walking towards the kitchen area. Once she reaches the kitchen, she pours some water on her hands, washing away the arousal sticking to her fingers. Once she deems her hand clean enough, she walks back into her bedroom and lies down next to Regina, taking the girl back in her arms, her arm wrapped around the girl's waist.

"You drive me absolutely insane. It's embarrassing how easily you turn my brain, as well as my body, into mush. If I'm being honest, I'd never have it any other way. Goodnight, Regina, I love you." Emma whispers to the sleeping girl before her, placing a soft kiss to the top of the girl's head. The blonde then lays her head down on their shared pillow, closing her eyes and allowing sleep to wash over her.

* * *

"Ouch! What the hell is wrong with you, lady?!" A scrawny boy yells at a sheepish looking Emma.

"Sorry, kid! It's not my fault you were in the way!" Emma defends, ignoring the snort coming from Regina at her poor excuse.

"He was standing like 10 feet behind you, he was hardly in the way, Emma." Regina muses from beside her blonde companion, earning a sharp glare in return. Regina smirks in amusement at the look, but otherwise, chooses to say nothing else.

"Like I was saying, kid, you were in the way. I was clearly aiming my fireball in your direction. If you didn't want your shirt to be burned off, you would have run out of the way." Emma says defensively, causing a chuckle to escape Regina's throat. Emma turns a glare in her direction again, causing Regina to snap her mouth shut, mirth twinkling in her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry that I ruined your shirt. So, here, take this." Emma says to the boy, pulling out 15 pieces of silver. The boy's eyes widen in shock as Emma places all 15 pieces of silver in the palm of his hand.

"You're giving this to me? All of it?" He squeaks out in surprise. Emma chuckles at him and nods.

"Yes. Think of this as an apology on my behalf. I didn't mean to cause you, or your clothing, any harm."

"Thanks, miss!" He says excitedly, offering Emma and Regina a wide smile before running off to where an elderly couple is standing. The couple smiles at him, their eyes suddenly widening at the sight of the silver. The boy points excitedly to Emma, and the couple looks over to her, their eyes widening in surprise. They man and woman offer a discreet bow and curtsy, respectively, and offer small smiles to Regina and Emma. Emma and Regina watch as the couple drags the boy to a nearby stall selling shirts.

"That was nice of you." Regina says with a small smile. Emma shrugs bashfully.

"Well, it's the least I could do. I mean, I did accidentally burn his shirt off." Regina laughs at that and grabs Emma's hand in hers, dragging her down the walkway of the many shops and stalls, the people working in them yelling out information about their merchandise.

It's a cool afternoon, Archibald and Alexander escorted the princesses to the marketplace, letting the girls explore some place other than their cottage, and the deepness of the forest surrounding it. Alexander and Archibald have taken notice of the girls' closeness, smirking at each other when they see Regina stealing a kiss from Emma behind a clothing rack holding ball gowns. The two girls have tried to be subtle around their guards, but have been doing a terrible job at it. They can't seem to keep their hands off one another. Their always holding hands, stealing chaste kisses from one another, wrapping their arms around each other's waists, or staring at each other with eyes full of pure adoration. Their interactions with one another, now, is a far cry from their interactions from just two and a half months prior. Both guards are happy to see how close they have gotten, for they both knew that the two young women were destined to be together. It was, really, only a matter of time.

"What do you think of this?" Regina asks as she and Emma walk over to a jewelry stall, holding up a plain gold wedding ban. Emma looks up a Regina in suspicion and shrugs nonchalantly, though the look in her eyes betrays her curiosity.

"It's…nice. Why do you ask? Do you want to buy it?" Emma asks quietly, studying the brunette's face. Regina bites her bottom lip and nods.

"Yes…um…I actually already bought it while you were looking at the swords…." Regina mumbles, avoiding Emma's eyes. Emma's eyes widen at that. Just as she begins to sputter out distorted noises, Regina looks back up at her, brown locking onto green. Emma shuts her mouth and gapes at Regina unsurely, waiting for the brunette to explain. "I just…we got married because our parents _forced_ us to. We stayed in this marriage because we _wanted_ to. We didn't get wedding bands after our ceremony, and at the time, I know for sure that neither of us would have wanted them…but now…Now I want them. I love you, Emma. So much. And, I am actually quite thankful to our parents for forcing us together, because if they hadn't, I would have never known what you meant to me, and how important having you in my life is. You are my _everything_, Emma, and even though a wedding ban or an engagement ring is just a material thing, I wanted us to have something tangible that symbolizes our eternal commitment to one another." Regina says passionately, causing a soft smile to spread across Emma's face. Regina looks to the ground bashfully, and mutters out: "You don't have to wear it if you don't want to." Emma takes her hand and gently places it on Regina's chin, raising the girl's face to meet hers. Once their eyes connect, Emma leans forward, catching Regina's lips in a tender kiss. Before the brunette gets the chance to kiss back, Emma pulls back, taking the ring out of Regina's palm and sticking it on her ring finger.

"It's perfect. _You're_ perfect, and I am so glad that I get to call you my wife." Emma says truthfully, causing butterflies to flap around in Regina' stomach." Now, did you buy a ring for yourself?" Emma asks. Regina nods sheepishly and opens her hand to reveal an identical gold band laying in her palm. Emma takes the ring out of her wife's hand and places it on the brunette's ring finger, smiling widely when she takes in the sight of their matching wedding bands. "Perfect." Emma says softly. The blonde pulls her brunette companion in her arms, burying her face in the crook of the brunette's neck. Regina places a kiss at the side of Emma's head before whispering something Emma didn't expect to hear so soon.

"Emma, I think I might be ready."

Emma pulls back, her eyes widened in surprise. "Ready for what?" Emma asks dumbly, not exactly sure if Regina is referring to what she thinks she's referring to. Regina bites her bottom lip, her cheeks coloring red.

"I think I'm ready to make love to you."

"A-are you sure?" Emma asks slowly, her heart pounding in her ears.

"I'm sure."

And that was all the assurance Emma needed. Regina was finally ready. And so was she.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hey guys! Just a warning, this chapter is M rated.**

* * *

"You can do this, Emma. You are ready for this. You have been waiting for this for weeks. Regina is ready, therefore you are ready." Emma tells herself reassuringly as she stares into the mirror hung on the bathhouse wall. She runs her fingers through her damp blonde waves and gathers her hair up to put in a high ponytail. As she slips on her nightgown and her sandals, she turns back to the mirror, the light from the lit lantern in the room making it easier to see her shadow-like reflection. She flashes a smile to herself in the mirror, one that looks more like a grimace, and tries again until her smile looks genuine. The look in her eyes reflects pure nervousness, and as much as tries to mask it, the expression remains. "I love Regina, I want Regina, I will take Regina tonight…" Emma says confidently, repeating the mantra in her head as she makes her way out of the bathhouse and into the cottage. Upon entering her and Regina's bedroom, the smell of incense fills her nostrils, and her eyes adjust to the black of the room, the only light coming in from the moonlight streaming through the window. Emma gulps audibly and manages to croak out: "Regina?"

"I'm here, dear. Just-just g-give me a minute." Regina stutters out, her nerves getting the better of her. Emma's nerves melt away at the brunette's nervous tone, her feet carrying her further into the room in search of Regina. The light of the moon streaming through the window aids her in her search for Regina, the brunette's outline now able to be seen lying on the mattress. Emma walks over the bed and gently takes a seat, careful not to frighten Regina. She lies down and pats the other girl's arm, gesturing for the brunette to roll into her side. Regina complies, and soon, Emma is holding the brunette in her arms, Regina's back to her front, her arms wrapped around Regina's waist, and her face buried in Regina's luscious chocolate locks. "I'm sorry…I really want this. I'm just so nervous." Regina whispers out truthfully, Emma places a kiss to the brunette's scalp and tightens her hold on her wife's waist.

"It's okay, so am I. Neither of us have done this before, it's only natural that we'd both be nervous, right?" Emma reasons with a smile in her voice. Regina nods and lets out a sigh. Before the blonde can question it, Regina turns around in her arms, wrapping her arm over Emma's waist so that they are holding each other.

"I love you." Regina says simply, leaning forward to place a chaste kiss on Emma's lips before pulling back. "I've never done this before, as you have already stated. Until now, I was never really interested in love-making, not even when I was with Daniel. Now that I look back on that relationship, I realized that I did love him at one point, but that my heart never really _belonged_ to him… It always belonged to someone else who I had yet to meet. Unknown to me, it had belonged to you, and now that I have you, I feel complete. My heart feels complete. The love and care I feel for you is indescribable, Emma. It's something that fills my entire being. Since before I even knew for sure that you were my true love, I felt a connection with you that was so strong, so unlike anything I've ever felt before… I just- I want this so much, Emma, I want you to be my first, my last, and my only." Regina says passionately. Emma smiles, leaning forward to place a lingering kiss on Regina's lips.

"You have such a way with words. You must have read a lot of poetry in your free time." Emma says teasingly, placing another kiss on Regina's forehead. Regina shrugs a shoulder bashfully in response.

"Back at the castle, I used venture into my father's library and grab a handful of his books and then go out to my favorite tree and read them under the branches. A lot of the books were short-stories and poetry, sometimes they were medically-related, sometimes war-related, but mostly short-stories and poetry. I guess I picked up a few things while reading them."

"Like what?"

"Like this." Regina says, surging forward and capturing Emma's lips with her own. Emma moans softly in surprise at the sudden action and melts into the kiss, wrapping her arms tighter around Regina's frame. Regina slowly pulls away from Emma, Emma's lips following after Regina's as the brunette pulls away. When Emma flutters her eyes open, her eyes lock onto Regina's, her breath hitching in her throat as she takes in the sight of the love and adoration swimming in Regina's brown orbs.

"That kiss definitely didn't feel like it was war or medically-related…" Emma jokes weakly, smiling dopily at Regina. Regina releases a breathy laugh and leans back in, kissing Emma with more force, leaning up and placing her legs on either side of the blonde's waist. Emma moans into the kiss, reaching her hands up to rest on Regina's hips, pushing up the material of the brunette's nightgown material so that her hands are resting on bare olive skin. Emma strokes the skin gently causing Regina to moan lightly in her mouth. Emma swallows the moan and swipes her tongue against Regina's bottom lip, begging for entrance. When entrance is granted, Emma eagerly swipes her tongue against the roof of Regina's mouth, eliciting another moan from the brunette. Regina's tongue meets Emma's and the two gently massage their tongues against each other's, Emma occasionally sucking on Regina's tongue causing the brunette to moan into her mouth again. Emma's hand venture up from Regina's hips, to her bare back, to her taut stomach, to her chest. Emma gasps into the kiss when her palms come in contact with Regina's bare breasts. Regina moans loudly into the kiss, her breathing picking up as Emma gently palms the breasts in her hands. Slowly, she cups them, giving them a gentle squeeze, causing an even louder, sensual moan to escape Regina's throat. The two pull away from the kiss and stare into one another's eyes, intense love, longing, lust, and want, completely evident in their stares.

Emma continues to stare into Regina's eyes as she massages the breasts in her palms, watching with a slack jaw as Regina's mouth parts, the brunette's eyes rolling into the back of her head from the sensation. Emma experimentally pinches one of the brunette's nipples between her fingers, Regina's back arching at the move. Emma studies her wife's face, looking for any indication of discomfort, but when she sees only pleasure painting her wife's features she decides to repeat the action, receiving the same previous result. Emma pinches both nipples this time, receiving a loud moan in response. Regina stills Emma's hands and gestures for her wife to remove them from under her nightgown. Emma looks at her wife curiously and removes her hands, before she can question it, Regina removes her nightgown, flinging it across the room. Emma gasps at that and stares unabashedly at Regina's chest, taking in the sight of the dark, erect nipples. Regina rolls off of Emma and tugs at the blonde's nightgown.

"Off." She says simply. Emma quickly removes her nightgown and flings it across the room as well, not sure where it landed, but definitely way too turned on to care. Regina re-straddles Emma's waist and captures the blonde's lips with her own, initiating a heated kiss that steals the breath from both girl's lungs. Regina reaches up her hand to palm Emma's breasts, repeating the actions Emma did to her just a few seconds prior. Emma moans into their kiss, her back arching off the bed as Regina rolls her nipple through her fingers. The two continue to engage in their heated kiss, both massaging each other's breasts with their hands, pinching and rubbing against a nipple every now and then.

The kiss begins to slow down, and slowly, they pull away from one another. Instead of taking the moment to catch their breaths, Regina moves down Emma's body, her mouth now hovering over Emma's erect nipples. Regina looks up at Emma with a reassuring smile, which Emma returns, and lowers her mouth to latch onto the nipple. She suck slowly and gently, coaxing soft breathy moans from Emma's lips. She rolls the unattended nipple between her fingers while continuing her oral assault on the other. After a few minutes, she moves onto the other nipple, repeating the previous actions. Emma writhes beneath Regina, feeling the wetness and unbelievable throbbing pulse in her nether region. She begins rubbing her thighs together, hoping to alleviate some of the tension, but unfortunately, isn't having much luck. Regina seems to sense this and releases Emma's nipple with a pop. She rests her chin on the blonde's chest, looking into her wife's dark and lustful stare.

"I love you." Regina says softly. Emma offers Regina a wobbly smile.

"I love you too."

"What do you need?" Regina asks with a loving smile. Emma swoons at her wife's dazzling smile for a moment before she remembers the throbbing bundle of nerves that needs attending to. She smiles sheepishly at her companion and clears her throat.

"I need you down there." She squeaks out. Regina nods her head, the nerves from earlier in the night now swirling in her brown orbs. She makes her way up Emma's body and kisses her with everything she's got before pecking the tip of her wife's nose cutely, and then begins kissing down the rest of her wife's body. She pays special attention to Emma's abs, sliding her tongue over the contours at a slow pace, reveling in the feeling of the taut muscles against her tongue. Emma whimpers at the feeling, the tightening in her lower belly becoming damn near unbearable at this point. Regina seems to sense this and stares up at Emma, brown locking with green. She finishes her attack on the abs and moves further down Emma's body, her face is now facing Emma's covered center. She inhales the musky, sweet scent and can't help but find it intoxicating. She slowly hooks her fingers through sides of the blonde's underwear and pulls down the material. Once it's fully off, she flings it across the room like a slingshot. Emma giggles breathlessly at the action, causing Regina to send her an over exaggerated wink.

"That was very suave of you." Emma says teasingly.

"Why thank you very much. I try." Regina says with breathy laugh. Regina looks up at Emma again, silently asking if it's okay to touch her there. When she receives a slight nod, she leans forward and places a few kisses on Emma's inner thighs. Emma's breath hitches at the feeling of Regina's breath against her sex. Regina stares at the dripping wet center of her wife and can't help but admire how beautiful it is. Her wife is just beautiful everywhere it seems. Regina pokes her tongue out and timidly licks Emma's slit, the blonde's back arching off the bed at the contact. Regina takes that action as a good sign and begins licking through the folds, occasionally sucking on the little bundle of nerves. Emma's breathing picks up as Regina's tongue moves faster, the brunette now resting her thumb on Emma's clitoris, pressing against it as she continues to lick through the girl's folds, Regina pushing her tongue inside of Emma as she continues pleasuring her wife. Emma's moans become louder, her words become slurred, and her back remains arched off the bed as she comes undone. As she comes down from her orgasmic high, she stares at Regina through half-lidded eyes.

"That was amazing." Emma whispers breathlessly. Regina smiles victoriously, her own center now throbbing for attention. Emma looks down at Regina with adoring eyes, taking in the sight of the girl's adorable smile, and the lustful haze in her eyes. "It's your turn now." Without further thought, Emma pulls Regina up and lies the girl on her back. She kisses down the brunette's body, just as Regina had done to her earlier, and pays special attention to the brunette's stomach. Regina's abs aren't as defined as Emma's, but they are definitely noticeable, and without a doubt, the sexiest thing Emma has ever seen, other than Regina as a whole, of course. After she discontinues her tongue's assault on Regina's abs, she looks up at Regina for approval to remove her undergarment. Once she gets the approval she's looking for, she slides her fingers into the waistband of the brunette's underwear and slides it down the girl's legs. She flings the underwear across the room like a slingshot, except instead of it landing inside of the room, it flies outside of the ajar window.

"Real smooth, Emma. I give you a 10 out of 10 for your smoothness." Regina says with a husky chuckle. Emma blushes at that and pouts. When Regina's chuckles have yet to die down, Emma moves in between the brunette's legs, swiping her tongue against her wife's slit. Regina's chuckles immediately die at that, her breath hitching as her back arches off the bed.

"I'd give myself a 10 out of 10 for effectively shutting you up." Emma says cockily.

"Get back down there, Emma. I'm about to explode." Regina whimpers pathetically. Emma giggles cutely at that and complies with her wife's demands. She repeats all of the earlier actions Regina performed before, swiping her tongue through her wife's wet folds, pushing her thumb against Regina's clitoris. She slides her index finger into her wife's sex, reveling in the heat emitting from it. Regina moans loudly at the welcomed intrusion, bucking her hips into Emma's face, the blonde's finger sliding deeper inside. Regina is so close, embarrassingly so. She wanted this to last much longer, but after watching her wife come undone earlier, she knew it wouldn't take much for her to have her release. With a few more thrusts of Emma's finger into Regina's tight heat, and a few more swipes of the blonde's tongue against Regina's clitoris, Regina finds herself tumbling over the edge, falling into an orgasmic haze.

After a few long moments, the brunette regains her breath, her eyes closed while a serene smile graces her lips. She feels Emma's body climb up hers, until the blonde is now lying beside her, her body now sinking into Emma's warm embrace as the blonde pulls Regina's limp form into her arms.

"Wow."

"Wow is right."

"Who knew love making could be so wonderful."

Emma chuckles at Regina's awe-filled voice and hums in agreement. "If that's what sex is like between two people who love each other, imagine what it would be like between two people who hate each other." Regina turns to look at Emma, her lips curling into a mischievous smirk.

"Do you think there's a spell that would allow us to go back in time to when we first moved in together?" Regina asks. Emma raises a brow at her wife.

"Why?"

"Maybe we could figure out what angry hate-sex would be like if we did." Regina says with a smirk. Emma rolls her eyes at her wife.

"It would be rough, very _very_ rough. But totally hot. We don't have to go back in time to have rough love making, however." Emma says with a smirk.

"True. We should try it out next time. As for right now, how about we go for a round 2?" Emma smirks at that and quickly sits up, rolling atop Regina. "I thought you'd never ask."

And so the two spent the rest of their night expressing their love for one another. They softly caressed one another, whispering sweet nothings into each other's ears, exchanging sweet kisses every now and then. A few months ago they were forced to marry one another, holding a dislike for one another that neither girl ever questioned. Their parents told them that love would come eventually in their case, but they hadn't believed them. They never allowed themselves to. Who would have thought that their parents would have been right all along? Who would have thought that, one, Regina Mills and, one, Emma White would ever fall in love with one another? Surely, not them. But they did, and they couldn't be happier. Love definitely came eventually for them, and they'd never trade their eternal love for anything.

_THE END_


	21. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

_10 Years Later_

"Henry, stop playing with your food." Regina says to her son sternly. He looks up at his mom with sparkling green orbs and ducks his head, his shaggy brown hair falling into his eyes as he bows his face into his plate.

"Sorry mama." He mutters with his mouth full, flashing his mother a sheepish smile. Regina smiles at him in adoration and combs her fingers through his shaggy brown hair that is so similar to her own. "Where's mommy?" He asks with a mouth full of peas. Regina sends him a chastising look for talking with his mouth full, which causes another sheepish smile to form on his face as he chews his food slowly and swallows.

"She went out to the practice field with Grandpa Charming, Grandma Snow, and Archibald. She should be back soon." Regina tells him softly, lightly massaging her three year olds scalp. He nods his head and scoops up the rest of his peas with his spoon, stuffing his mouth with the vegetable. He quickly chews and swallows his food, sticking out his tongue to prove that he's finished everything. Regina chuckles at her son, and shakes her head in amusement placing a light kiss atop his head. "Good job baby!" Regina coos at him, earning a bright smile in response to her praise. She giggles breathlessly at her son and gets up from her seat at the kitchen table, holding a hand out for her son to take. Once he grabs her hands, Regina walks him out to the bathhouse where his change of clothes is resting on the edge of the deserted tub. "Bath time!" Regina says enthusiastically, laughing loudly when Henry practically bounces up and down in excitement, shedding off his clothes at a rapid pace. Regina dips her hand into the water, making sure the temperature isn't too hot, and lifts Henry up, gently lowering his small body into the tub.

"Mommy! Mommy! Look, I naked!" Henry giggles out loudly, looking in the direction of the bathhouse doorway. Regina turns around and spots Emma standing at the door, her shoulder resting against the wooden doorframe, a sweet smile placed on her lips at the scene before her.

"I see that little man." Emma says with a chuckle, flashing a smile in Regina's direction. Regina feels her stomach flutter, a smile gracing her own lips at her wife's presence.

"Come over here and help me give this rug rat a bath. Also, you may want to take a bath yourself, I can smell you from here." Regina says with a teasing smirk, causing Emma to pout and peek her nose into her blouse, inhaling her less than pleasant scent. She scrunches up her nose in disgust at her smell, causing Regina and Henry to giggle at her.

"You're so silly mommy!" Henry giggles out, causing Emma's smile to crawl back on her lips and widen. Emma walks over to her wife and sits on the edge of the tub, placing a chaste kiss on Regina's lips before leaning down to place a kiss atop Henry's head.

"Do you mind if I bathe in the other bath?" Emma asks her son with a smirk. He shakes his head excitedly and points to the tub as Regina begins to gently scrub his arms with a washcloth and some soap. Emma gets up from the edge of the tub, placing a kiss atop Regina's head as she gets up, and walks outside of the bathhouse, heading into the cottage. A minute later, Emma comes back into the bathhouse with a towel draped over her shoulder and her nightgown draped over her forearm. While Henry's eyes are closed, Regina gently washing their son's face, Emma quickly strips out of her clothing and steps into the tub, lowering herself into the warm water. She sighs, her muscles immediately relaxing at the feel of the warm water. As Emma leans back into the tub, her head resting at the back of it with her eyes closed, a loud splashing noise and a big glob of water being thrown at her face causes her eyes to snap open. She turns to look towards Henry and Regina, the two snickering quietly, amused smirks gracing their faces. "You two are mean."

"It was mama's idea." Henry says with a small giggle. Emma cocks a brow at Regina in amusement and the brunette woman just shrugs, a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

"You looked like you needed some extra washing." Regina defends weakly. Emma rolls her eyes at her wife and leans back into the tub, lathering her washcloth with soap and water as she begins bathing herself. She hums a random tune to herself, smiling to herself as Henry echoes the tune, humming along with her. Regina smiles at her two loves and begins washing Henry's hair, smiling as Emma dunks her head underwater in the neighboring tub, most likely rinsing out her hair as well. After a few silent moments, disregarding the light humming coming from Emma and Henry, the three finish up in the bathhouse, and are soon back in the cottage, mothers and son lying together in their king-sized bed. Henry lies between his mothers, his back to Regina, while his head is rested on Emma's chest.

Regina looks down at their son with an expression that displays the love and adoration she feels for him. She, then, moves her attention to her lovely wife of 10 years, the same expression of love and adoration being aimed at Emma. Regina wonders how she got so lucky. She was destined for this woman…the woman who loved her unconditionally despite all of her flaws, the woman who made sure that her first time was special, and the woman who never put up with her crap and always managed to put her in her place. The same woman who gave her this amazing son and this amazing love that will never fade, but has only grown. So much has happened in the last ten years that she and Emma have been together. For one, Regina and Emma made amends with their parents, allowing the adults back into their lives and forgiving them wholeheartedly for forcing them to marry one another and for keeping the secret of their true love connection. The closer Regina and Emma got, the less they cared about what their parents did to them. To be honest, they ended up thanking their parents for the much needed push.

Other than making amends with their parents, the two women renewed their vows five years ago, feeling the need to reestablish their marriage on their own terms. They remained in their little cozy cottage in the middle of the Enchanted Forest, not feeling the need to move. The cottage was their home; their permanent home, and they liked it that way. They no longer took lessons from Alexander, Archibald, and Cora, having all of the necessary combat skills, as well as magical skills, down pat. Speaking of magic, the conception of Henry was exactly that. Magical. Regina and Emma had found a spell allowing them to impregnate Regina magically, successfully combining Emma's DNA with Regina's. The spell took a lot of work and a lot of practice, but they managed to successfully carry it through, more than happy with the end result. Regina gets to spend the rest of her life with the most amazing woman she has ever met, and the wonderful child that they created together. She got her happy ending, and she'd never trade it for anything in the world.

"Can you tell me a bedtime story?" Henry asks Emma and Regina sleepily, a yawn escaping his mouth. Emma looks over Henry at Regina and smiles. Regina returns the smile and offers a playful wink.

"Sure bud. What would you like to hear?" Emma asks him, smiling as Henry's hands cling to the front of her nightgown, his head burying further into her chest.

"I want to hear how you and Mama met." Henry's muffled voice says. Regina rolls her eyes and Emma smirks at her.

"Sure! That's a great story." Emma says, her smirk still in place. Regina lets out a dramatic sigh and scoots up behind her son, throwing an arm over both Henry and Emma. Emma's smirk turns into a smile at that and she leans over Henry to place a chaste kiss on Regina's forehead.

"Mommy you're squishing me." Henry whines playfully. Emma leans back and looks down at her son, her eyes locking onto eyes that are so similar to her own.

"Sorry, bud." Emma says with a chuckle. Henry huffs dramatically at her, his expression being one of impatience. Emma can definitely see the resemblance between him and Regina in that moment.

"Story, mommy." Henry whines again. Regina and Emma share an eye roll, loving smiles gracing their faces and aimed at their grumpy son.

"Okay, okay. Once upon a time…" Emma begins retelling the official first meeting between her and Regina. As she continues telling the story, she looks down and notices that Henry is fast asleep, his grip on the front of her nightgown completely slack.

"Looks like our little prince is asleep." Regina says as she listens to Henry's even breathing.

"Looks like he is." Emma says with a smile.

"We need to get some sleep as well. We have a long day ahead of us, your majesty." Regina says with a wink. Emma rolls her eyes with a laugh.

"I'm not the only one getting coronated as Queen tomorrow, _your majesty_." Emma shoots back at Regina with a smirk.

"Whatever." Regina says with a smile. She leans over Henry once again and places a lingering kiss on Emma's lips. "Goodnight, Em. I love you."

"I love you too, Gina. So much."

"I love you moms." Henry mumbles sleepily. Regina and Emma quietly giggle at that and share one last kiss before closing their eyes and allowing sleep to come. For tomorrow will come a new chapter in their life. One that they can't wait to start together. As a family.


End file.
